S F 

52,3 
.CS4 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




J?2AX>\ ^&.^u^ vq, XQ(y(-/swi 



BEE KEEPING FOR PROFIT 



A NEW SYSTEM 



Bee Management, 



FIRST EDITION. 



/ 

Mrs, Lizzie E. Cotton, 



WEST GOEHAM, MAINE. 

/J 2 ? ; 

ILLUSTRATED. 

1880. 



SF5Z3 

.CS4 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1860, by 

MRS. LIZZIE. E. COTTON, 
lu the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, 



CONTENTS. 



Chapter. I'age 

I.— Honey Bees 13 

II. — The Controllable Hive and New Sys- 
tem of Bee Management 22 

III.— Patent and non-Patent Hives 29 

I V.— Feeding 32 

V.— Boxes for Surplus Honey 40 

VI.— Swarming and Hiving 45 

VII.— Anger of Bees 55 

VIII. — Bee Moth 59 

IX.— Robbing 62 

X. — Profits of Bee Keeping 66 

XL— Changing Old Queens for Young Ones. .74 

XII.— PtEARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS 77 

XIII.— Sources of Honey 84 

XIV.— Location of Hives 89 

XV. — Wintering Bees 92 

XVI.— Transferring Bees 98 

X VII.— Italian Bees 103 

XVIIL— Construction of Controllable Hives. .107 

XIX.— Monthly Duties 113 

XX. — Conclusion 120 



PREFACE. 



In presenting this work I have no apology to make. 
After an experience with bees dating almost from child- 
hood, and a careful study of all works published on the 
subject of bees, and the journals devoted to that particular 
branch of rural affairs., I find theory, guess-work, preju- 
dice and selfish motives are so prevalent, as to confuse 
and discourage the beginner, and finally, all who are seek- 
ing after information by which they may make bee keep- 
ing a source of profit, and who wish to adopt a correct 
and scientific system of bee management. 

Tn my early efforts at bee keeping, I met with many 
failures and heavy losses, from being confused by the con- 
tradictory teachings of selfish or ignorant bee keepers, and 
from a lack of that personal knowledge which experience, 
and a close study of the nature and habits of bees has 
now placed in my possession. After many unsuccessful 
experiments, and careful investigation, and a close study of 
the natural habits and instincts of bees, I have succeeded 
in inventing a hive and new system of bee management 
which completely changes the whole process of bee keep- 
ing, and renders the business safe, pleasant and profitable. 

The hive and system of bee management recommended 
in these pages is entirely original with me, and is not 
patented. I invented the hive and plan of management for 
my own use, as I am engaged in raising honey for mar- 
ket, and wish every swarm of bees I keep to produce the 



10 PREFACE. 

greatest possible amount of surplus lioney, and in the 
most convenient and attractive marketable form. I 
am induced to place this work before the public at the 
earnest and oft repeated requests of friends and corres- 
pondents. The work has been hurriedly written, as I 
had but little spare time to devote to this matter, conse- 
quently sentences are not all, perhaps, grammatically 
arranged. I have made the beautiful of secondary 
importance to the useful. I have endeavored, however, to 
make my sta ements so clear as to be readily under- 
stood and comprehended by every person of intelligence, 
although he may be wholly unacquainted with bee 
keeping. 

Every person, who has a farm or garden, should keep 
bees, at least one or more swarms, to furnish honey for the 
use of the family. There is no greater luxury than nice 
honey in clean snow-white comb in idee glass boxes, such 
as is produced by my new system of bee management. 
This best of all sweets is now within reach of every one 
who has a plot of ground large enough to set a hive of 
bees upon. 

After bees are once located in my hives but very little 
expense is required to keep them in proper condition, so 
that they will give a good quantity of nice box honey 
every year. 

Under the old methods of bee keeping, bees required a 
great deal of care and attention, especially during the 
summer season. And then the winters were very destruc- 
tive to them, many often losing their entire stock; or if 
they were not a total loss, they were so damaged by the 
winter as to be of no profit, and two severe winters in 
succession were quite sure to finish them. 

This was very discouraging, and many have abandoned 
bee keeping, entirely discouraged. 

On my plan a complete revolution is effected in bee 
management, as will be shown in this work. 



There is in my opinion no pursuit which offers greater 
inducements than bee keeping, especially to women. 
There are very many who are confined indoors nearly the 
whole time, excluded from the air and sunshine, to the 
great injury of their health; and after this great sacrifice 
they barely succeed in obtaining a livelihood. To such, 
bee keeping offers great inducements, such as improved 
health, and a handsome recompense for all labor per- 
formed. I am acquainted with many who have com- 
menced bee keeping on my plan, who are meeting with 
complete success. A lady bought a swarm of Italian 
bees of me in 187-i, and she writes me that from that one 
she increased her stock to over twenty swarms the third 
season ; besides she got over one hundred pounds of nice 
honey from the swarm I sent her the first season. Here 
I wish to be clearly understood ; I do not wish to hold out 
inducements which will never be realized, for the purpose 
of causing any one to commence beekeeping; yet I be- 
lieve bee keeping on correct principles should be 
encouraged, until bees enough are kept to collect all the 
honey now allowed to go to waste, and which if collected 
by bees and stored in nice glass boxes, would add millions 
of dollars to the wealth of the country. 

Since the day I introduced my Controllable Hive and 
new system'of bee management to the notice of the j:>ub- 
lic, the worthless bee hive swindlers and their tools have 
been boiling over with wrath against me, lying and slan- 
dering me through the public journals, and especially 
through the Bee Journals, and all because, that I, a 
woman, had succeeded in inventing a bee hive and new 
system of bee management superior to anything yet pro- 
duced, and which was fast coming into use on its merits 
among bee keepers; consequently the sale of other hives 
was decreasing in the same proportion. I first perfected 
the liive and system of management for my own use.with 
no thought of making it public, but through the kindness 



12 PREFACE. 

of my personal friends, and others who have visited me 
to enquire into the new system, it has become known 
from Maine to Oregon, and adopted by many of the most 
intelligent bee keepers in the United States. And in com- 
pliance with that command in the good book which 
reads — " Let your light shine" I am determined to spread 
the truth, regardless of all opposition from the ignorant 
and selfish crowd which is constantly attacking me. 

Without egotism I claim a thorough knowledge of the 
habits and instincts of bees. Consequently I claim a 
thorough knowledge of the requisites of a hive, and all 
fixtures pertaining to it, as well as a knowledge re- 
quired to make bee keeping successful and profitable; and 
all this has been acquired in the school of experience and 
practice. 

Kind reader, I respectfully submit the following pages, 
and ask for them a candid and unprejudiced consideration. 
Read carefully and under standingly, and apply to bee 
keeping, and I feel certain you will realize many times the 
cost of this book in the increased profits of your bees, 
managed as here directed. 

The statements herein set forth are the result of many 
years practical experience tvith bees with a view of making 
the raising of honey for market profitable, and the general 
management of bees successful. 

MRS. LIZZIE E. COTTON. 

West Gorham, Maine, Aug. 5th, 1880. 



CHAPTER I. 

HONEY BEES. 




QUEEN BEE. 

SWARM of bees contains one Queen, thousands 
^'fjk of workers and in the summer season a limited, 
^number of drones. The queen is the only 
^j? fully developed female in the swarm. She 
never leaves the hive except on two occasions — when 
leading a swarm, and when but a few days old. to meet 
the drone, or male- bee, in the air, for the purpose of 
fecundation. It appears from close observation that only 
one impregnation is operative during life, as old queens 
have never been known toleave the hive for that purpose. 

The natural life of the queen averages from four to six 
years. Queens sometimes become entirely barren before 
death; at other times the eggs of old queens are found to 
produce only drones. No matter whether deposited in 
drone cells, or worker cells, the progeny will be drones 
invariably. When drones are reared in worker cells they 
will be very much dwarfed in size, notwithstanding the 
worker bees' attempt to overcome the difficulty, by 
lengthening the worker cells, to accommodate the mon- 
strosities. 

The queen has a sting, yet she may be handled with 



14 HONEY BEES. 

impunity, for she will not use it except when in deadly 
combat with a rival queen. She receives the most 
marked attention from all members of her family; 
deprive a swarm of their queen, and they will, as 
soon as the loss is known, manifest the greatest agitation 
and alarm, and if the swarm is one just hived, and 
only a few hours from the parent stock, they will 
all return at once to the old home. They appear to 
fully realize the vast importance of a mother, and that 
with no means to supply her place they must soon perish ; 
and to avoid their impending fate they return to the old 
hive. With old stocks deprived of their queen the result 
is different, as will be shown further on. Every one who 
keeps bees should strive to become familiar with the 
appearance of the queen, that they may be able to recog- 
nize her at a glance among thousands of workers, as it 
will often be necessary to look her up in my new system 
of bee management. In looking for the queen in full 
hives, she is usually found on the brood combs, unless in 
opening the hive she may have been frightened, and taken 
refuge in some hiding place, as the corner of the hive, at 
the bottom ends of the comb-frames, or some similar 
hiding place. After we become familiar with her appear- 
ance and movements we are able to find her quite readily, 
even when the hive is crowded with bees. 




WORKER BEE. 

The worker bee is much smaller than the queen. On 
the worker devolves all the labor of the swarm. They 
collect honey, pollen or bee bread, and propolis, or bee glue. 
The workers produce wax from honey, and from the 



HOXEY BEES. 15 

wax they build comb, in which to store the honey and 
bee bread they collect, for their own use in time of need. 
Wax is produced from honey, as butter is produce.! from 
milk. Bees do not collect wax, but they collect honey, 
which by a natural process in the stomach of the bee is 
changed, and exudes from between the rings of the abdo- 
men in minute scales of wax, which is detached by the 
bee and moulded into comb. The worker bee possesses a 
sting, and is ever ready to make use of it in defending 
home and treasure. Tin's is a wise provision of nature, 
for were it otherwise, the other insect and animal tribes 
would appropriate the treasures of the bee — honey, wax, 
&c, and this industrious little insect would soon become 
extinct. 

The worker bee possesses an instinct but little inferior 
to reason in the human family. A few examples will 
show their wonderful instinct: Twenty hives of bees, 
placed in a row, but a few inches distant one from the 
other, all of like size, shape and color ; the bees to our per- 
ception exactly alike, no difference in size, shape, color or 
action ; — yet every bee of this vast number (which at 
some seasons of the year would amount to more than six 
hundred thousand bees) in these twenty hives knows its 
own hive, and if let alone will not enter any other, except 
it be for the purpose of securing the honey therein for its 
own use,or in other words to plunder v a'nd rob its neighbor. 
There is no intercourse between swarms— each is a 
separate colony governed by a queen. If through mis- 
take the subjects of one enter the domain of another, a 
war of extermination is commenced at once. To test this 
point, I changed two hives so that they were reversed, the 
one occupying the place of the other. This was done while 
the bees were out collecting honey in a warm day. The 
first bees that entered the hive were instantly killed, and 
this was kept up until the hives were set in their proper 
places. The ground in front of the hives was covered with 



16 HONEY BEES. 

hundi-eds of dead bees. A bee is killed almost instantly 
by the sting of another. 

The young bee on its first excursion from the hive does 
not leave its home without precaution. With a 
view to a safe return, it turns its head towards its home, 
rises slowly on the wing, at first describing a circle of only 
a few inches in diameter, as it recedes slowly backward, 
seeming to so mark every object surrounding the hive 
as to enable it to return and enter, without the sli htest 
danger of entering any other hive. Bees in Spring, in 
their first flight, mark their location in this manner. 
After the location has been thus marked, the bees 
leave the hive in a direct line, and return by their 
way-marks, with perfect accuracy and regularity. 




DRONE BEE. 

The drone bee is a clumsy fellow. The drones are the 
male bees. Where a dozen or more hives are kept, there is 
no necessity for more drones than one swarm would 
naturally rear, yet each one of the twelve swarms carries 
out its natural proclivities, and rears a large number of 
these useless consumers, not one in a thousand of which 
is ever of any use. Swarms should not be permitted to 
rear a large number of these non producers. A few 
are indispensable, yet we should take this matter into our 
own hands. Not one drone in five thousand ever fulfils 
the purpose for which it was created. Fifty drone cells 
is enough for one hive, and when more than this number 
is constructed (sometimes they will number a thousand 
or more in a hive) cut out all but a very few, and fit in a 



HONEY BEES. 17 

piece of worker comb in iheir place — it is more profit to 
raise workers than drones. Drones leave the hive, to 
sport in the sunshine in large numbers, every fine after- 
noon in June and July. When on the wing they make a 
very loud, coarse buzzing. They have no sting and may 
be handled without the least fear. 

When the honey season is over, the worker bees drive 
out the drones, and a prosperous swarm will not tolerate 
a drone in the hive through the winter. 

In September 1 have seen a quart or more of drones 
clustered together near the entrance of the hive, from 
whence the}' had been driven by the bees. The workers on 
guard about the entrance of the hive, would not let one 
pass into the hive, though they were constantly making 
the attempt. As soon as one would approach the entrance 
to the hive to pass in, a half dozen or more workers 
would seize him, and drag him struggling to the edge of 
the platform and pitch him off, at apparent great danger 
to his portly and clumsy body. 

I wish to impress strongly on the minds of all who 
adopt my plan of bee management, the great importance 
of cutting out all the drone cells, except a very few in 
every hive. Don't leave more than fifty, half that number 
will do. After you have once cut out the surplus drone 
comb and fitted in worker comb, there is no further trouble 
with an excess of dronps from that hive. It takes a great 
deal of honey to rear a large brood of drones, and still 
more to support them in idleness two or three months. 



IIOXEY BEES. 




WORKER CELLS 



This engraving represents a section of comb in a 
miniature comb frame, containing all the different cells 
found ii. a hive. At the top are cells for storing honey. 
At the extreme right, near the bottom, is a queen cell 
complete, ;is it appears in queen raising, or in one week 
after a swarm has been deprived of its queen, in a full 
slock, or as it is found in stocks that swarm naturally, 
at the time the first swarm issues. Though often found 
in different places on the comb, and often to the number 
of a half dozen or more in one stock or hive, yet its rela- 
tive position is always the same. It will always present 
the same appearance, whether at the edges or on other 
parts of the comb. Near the queen cell is seen the 
worker cells, containing brood in all stages of growth, 
from (he tiny egg just deposited by the queen, to the full- 
grow n grub, or young bee. Near the worker cells, at the 
bottom, are the empty drone cells. 



Breeding. 

The natural increase of the honey bee is very imper- 
fectly understood by the great majority of bee keepers. 
Wry many suppose that young bees are raised onlj r in 
the warm summer months, and their ideas of the modus 
operandi of increase are exceedingly vague. I find that 



HONEY BEES. 19 

strung stocks have maturing brood nearly every month in 
the year — have found brood in stocks in December and 
January. 

The queen lays all the fertile eggs in the swarm ; con- 
sequently all increase is dependent on her. I say tlie 
queen lays all the fertile eggs, because occasional}'- un- 
der certain circumstances we find eggs laid by workers, 
but under my observation such eggs never mature. Egg- 
laying workers arc known to be such, by eggs being found 
in stocks that have been deprived of their queen, and the 
means of rearing another. This is one of the wonders of 
nature, of which no satisfactory solution has been given. 
The points established as to the sex of bees are these: 
the queen is a fully developed female; the drones are fully 
developed males; the worker, — what is it? The worker is 
said by some to be neuter. If this last is true, how are the 
eggs produced? Others say the worker is a female with 
generative organs not fully developed! A pretty nice 
point — tu credit litem with 'the power to produce eggs, 
without imparting vitality sufficient to germinate. 

We will leave this knotty question, as it is of no conse- 
quence in the practical management of bees for profit. 
Suffice it then to say, the queen is the mother of the entire 
family, and without a queen no swarm of bees can long 

The time taken to perfect the th'-ee different kinds of 
bees, queen, worker and drone, varies slightly. The queen 
will mature in about sixteen days from the time the egg 
is deposited in the cell. The drone and worker each in 
about twenty days. This time is subject to some variation, 
governed by the weather, and number of bees in the hive, 
which causes the temperature of the hive to be greater or 
less. A high temperature will forward, while a low tem- 
perature will retard, the maturing of the brood. 

Swarms with healthy prolific queens increase rapidly 
through the spring and summer. The queen at this sea- 



20 MONEY BEES. 

son will deposit from one thousand to fifteen hundred eggs 
per day. Some writers estimate higher. To secure so 
large a number of <ggs, and consequent increase of bees, 
we must have healthy prolific queens to start with, and 
offer every available facility to encourage the desired 
increase. How to do this successfully is shown further 
on. 

If we wish to secure a good harvest of honey, we must 
have the bees to collect it, and we must have them at the 
proper time, viz: when the harvest is ready. To do this 
we must encourage breeding to the utmost in early 
spring. 

Early in the spring the queen enlarges the circle con- 
taining the brood ; perhaps, if the stock was very stiong, 
and everything favorable, she laid a few eggs in one or 
two combs near the center of the cluster of bees in Janu- 
ary. Perhaps the cells occupied at that time were less 
than a ''ozen,all compact together in a circle, occupying 
less space than the size of a silver half dollar. As sne 
progresses, this circle is enlarged, and the cells on the 
opposite side of this comb is used ; then the next comb 
and so on, at the same time enlarging the circle, keeping 
the brood compactly together, so that the bees, by 
clustering around it, can keep up the required warmth to 
forward to maturity the brood. As the young bees hatch, 
the queen proceeds with her duties of laying eggs, until 
every brood cell is occupied, and as fast as a bee matures 
and leaves its cell, she is on hand with an egg to occupy 
the vacant place. This is kept up without cessation till 
swarming time, when the hive becomes crowded with 
bees, then, as preparation for swarming, the queen deposits 
eggs, from which the bees by a special course of treatment, 
rear queens. When they are sealed over, as shown in the 
plate, the old queen leaves the hive with the first swarm 
to seek a new home. In about ten days the young queens 
hatch and lead out after-swarms — second, third, etc. 



HOXEY BEES. 21 

When swarming is over, the strongest queen destroys the 
others, and reigns over the old swarm till another swarm- 
ing season. This is the process in natural swarming; 
on my plan we improve upon the process, as will be 
shown in th£ proper place. 



w 



CHAPTER II. 

THE CONTROLLABLE BEE HIVE AND NEW . 
SYSTEM OF BEE MANAGEMENT. 

i<8U^[T is now nearly ten years since I perfected the 

_J r ;fl||| Controllable Bee Hive and New System of Bee 

- ffrX Management. I commenced bee keeping with 

- p the common box hive, with no knowledge what- 
ever, of the habits of bees. I was not long in learning 
that I could not make bee keeping a success with the l>ox 
hive, and I also found that the thousand and one patent 
hives were no better, and the great majority of such hivts, 
inferior to the simple box hive. I found there was no 
practical method of controlling the swarming propen- 
sities of bees. All such hives would swarm or not, as 
seemed to suit the caprice of the bees, which I found very 
perplexing. Stocks under the old plan of management, 
sometimes show every indication of swarming, such 'as 
clustering out, etc., yet they adhere pertinaciously to the 
old stock through the entire summer, a peck or more of 
them clustering idly on the outside of the hive, through 
the season; and if one put on boxes, it is all the same, 
they will do nothing. And such swarms often starve 
early the next winter, : fter passing the summer in idle- 
ness. Other stocks with apparently not so many bees 
will swarm several times; often swarm so much as to 
reduce the number of bees so low that the bee moth will 
effect its destruction during the summer; there not being 
bees enough to protect the combs from the attacks of this 



THE CONTROLLABLE BEE HIVE 23 

destructive little insect. This swarming problem I found 
very difficult to solve. There were so many conflicting 
theories, I found I could gain no positive, reliable infor- 
mation from any source, to aid me, and that I must solve 
the problem by practical experiment. 

Experience is a good teacher, but often a very costly 
one. Some told me if I wished to prevent swarming, I 
must cut out the queen cells, which the bees constructed 
preparatory to swarming. This was simply impossible, 
with the box hive, sol constructed a hive with movable 
frames, so the bees, could build their combs in the frames, 
and each comb of the hive could be lifted out separately. 
But when I attempted to prevent swarming by cutting out 
the queen cells, I found if T was to thwart nature in 
that way, I had, to say the least, a big job on my hands. 
I could cut out the queen cells, but within twenty-four 
hours after I bad done this, the bees would have others 
constructed, and be ready to swarm, and as I kept cut- 
ting, they would keep building. They had ihe advantage 
of numbers and position, and when I opened the hive every 
day and destroyed such, to them, important work, they 
were not long in declaring and proclaiming me to be an 
enemy to them, and they would attack me whenever 
occasion offered. I soon found that if not impossible it 
was certainly impracticable to prevent bees swarm- 
ing by cutting out the queen cells. - It was a surprise to 
me that this plan should be recommended by bee keepers 
claiming to be well skilled in b^e management. After 
proving this plan of no value, 1 was told if I would 
contract the entrance to my hives so the queen could not 
pass, I cou d tlureby successfully prevent swarming, 
as the swarm would not leave without the queen. This 
looked to me like a very nice operation, to say the least, 
in fact, more nice than wise. However, I determined to 
test the plan. I accordingly contracted the entrance to my 
hives, and lo! the drones being larger than the queen they 



24 THE CONTROLLABLE BEE HIVE 

cotdd not pass! so they clustered about the entrance, and 
in their efforts to get out, completely blocked up the 
passage, so the workers could not pass. Yet this plan of 
contracting the entrance was claimed to be protected by 
letters patent of the U. S. I found this plan for prevent- 
ing swarming of no value whatever. Very many other 
plans were tendered me and tested with like results. I 
was all this time pushing my experiments, and learning 
something from experience every day. I was determined 
to arrange and construct a hive which would render bee 
keeping successful and profitable, and I can say at the 
present time, my labors have been rewarded with success. 
I ought to go on and write out a description of all the 
old methods of bee keeping,- and all the patent bee hive 
humbugs, with the thousand and one ?20??-patent hives 
and fixtures, got up expressly to swindle bee keepers out 
of their hard earnings, by a class of rascals, many of 
whom never owned a swarm of bees, and who care not 
one cent whether bee keeping is a success or otherwise, 
if they can pocket a round sum by their fraud. Were I 
to write out minutely these points, this work would 
become too voluminous and extended; besides it would be 
of no pracMcal value to the bee keeper, who wishes to 
keep bees for profit. I will not, therefore, give such 
minute descriptions of all the old systems, hives, etc., 
but will confine myself more closely to such practical 
information as will be of value to the bee keeper. 

Sw arming Controlled. 

How to control swarming is truly an important question. 
I believe that the successful controlling of swarming is 
the key to succes; and profit in bee keeping. Now how 
shall we do it? I will tell you. But first a few preliminary 
words. If swarms are desired, we a. range in early spring 
to have them issue in the swarming season, and at such a 
lime as will best suit our convenience. When no swarms 



AND NEW SYSTEM OF BEE MANAGEMENT. 25 

are wanted, we turn the whole force of bees to storing 
surplus honey in small glass boxes, throughout the entire 
season, and have no swarms, yet have the same increase 
of bees that would be gained if they swarmed. Then all 
the bees work at storing honey in boxes, instead of 
swarming out; and to any one who has not tested the 
matter it is surprising to see the amount of honey which 
a swarm of bees will store when not allowed to swarm, 
and fed judiciously, ample box room being provided oieasy 
access, so that all the bees have room to work, and by this 
plan we are not constantly watching and waiting for 
swarms with uncertainty throughout the entire summer, 
for we know with certainty when and where to look for 
swarms. In my plan, the swarming properties of bees are 
effectively controlled, without frequently disturbing or 
overhauling them, but by observing rules strictly in 
accordance with the habits and instincts of bees.* 

If you wish your bees in controllable hives to swarm 
keep the partition in place at the sides of the brood sec- 
tion, and the honey board over the top; or in other words, 
keep the bees confined in their labors to the central or 

*ilerc let me be clearly understood. I admit that bees will some- 
times swarm, with abundant room for work in their boxes. Yet I 
claim that on my plan all increase by swarming may be prevented 
without great trouble or perplexity, such as has heretofo7e 
attende 1 all attempts to bring about this greatly to be desired 
object. If a person commences bee keeping, with a certain number 
of swarms in controllable hives, and in early spring gives the bees 
access to the hive boxes, and later, after they commence work in 
them, gives the bees access to the top boxes, giving them otherwise 
ordinary care, (except to feed if desired,) but a small propor- 
tion will swarm on the average yearly. Much the larger portion 
will work in the boxes without swarming out, and give a handsome 
yield of surplus box honey, the yield of course being governed by 
the amount of feed given them, and the yield fro ■ flowers, etc. 
But if increase of stocks is preferred, rather than surplus box 
honey— if the bees are not given access to the boxes, but confined 
in their labors to the Drood section of the hive, being fed as 
directed, nearly every one will swarm, and swarm early. 



26 THE CONTROLLABLE BEE HIVE 

brood section of the hive. Now, if you wis!) them to 
swarm in any particular week of the swarming season, 
ten days before, remove the old queen. (It is well to 
kill her, and to do so, take with her about a pint of bees, 
and put them in a small miniature hive, six or eight inches 
square, with movable frames, like those in the central part 
of the controllable hive. Keep them shut in, twenty-four 
hours; then give them their liberty, and they will work 
the same as a large swarm through the summer; but will 
not winter. If such queens are known to be very old it 
is best to destroy them when we take them from the 
swarm. Keep only young, vigorous queens). The bees 
in the hive, from which you have taken the queen, will 
in nearly every instance, construct queen cells immediately 
to replace the loss of their queen. At the earliest possible 
moment, they seem to sense fully their loss, and to know 
that if they do not get another queen at once, their loss is 
irreparable. They usually will construct a number of 
ceils, perhaps a half dozen or more. These will hatch in 
about ten days, and then swarms will issue.* 

If you wish to devote but little time to your bees, and 
are not particular as to the time of swarming, and wish 
to have but very few swarms, or perhaps none at all, 
early in the spring, as soon as bees commence their work, 
put on the boxes (sides and top,) and give the bees access 
to them ; side boxes first, top boxes later. By this course, 
but a very small proportion of your stocks will swarm, 
(if this plan is to be practiced each year, it will be 
necessary to replace the old queens with young ones 
every three or four years. If this is not done, queens will 
die, or become barren from old age, and consequently loss 



*Should any stock fail to swarm within two weeks from the time 
the queen is removed, at the end of that time, examine such stock, 
and if they have no queen they must be furnished with one. About 
one stock in twenty, deprived of its queen as directed, will fail to 
rear queens. 



AND NEW SYSTEM OF BEE MANAGEMENT. 27 

of stocks follows. Keep this point in your mind : young 
healthy, prolific queens, are essential to success,) as they 
will have ample room in the boxes for their labor. 
Occasionally a hive treated in this way will swarm, and, 
if you wish to have no increase of stocks whatever, if a 
swarm comes out, hive it in a light box, and as soon as 
this is donc,go to the hive which they came from and smoke 
lightly; if the bees are cross, lift out the comb frames 
from the brood section with the bees adhering; examine 
each and every comb carefully for queen cells, and cut 
off all but one. Success here depends on care and 
thorotighucss, for if you leave more than one cell, your 
bees may swarm out again in a day or two. 

After this is done, spread a sheet on the ground; set a 
light box, like the one in which you have the bees, near 
one side; raise the edge towards where you will shake the 
bees one inch or a little more, to give the bees a chance 
to entei the box. Shake the bees from the hive, by a quick, 
jerking motion, upon the sheet, the most of them some 
two or three feet from the box. With a large spoon or 
ladle, put a few up near the box, so they will enter, and 
disturb the others gently with a quill or light brush. 
When they commence to enter the box, they will set up a 
loud and continual humming, or call, and the bees on the 
sheet, if lightly disturbed with the quill or brush, will 
spread out, and march towards the hive, while those on 
the wing will alight, and join them in the march. Now 
look closely for the queen, and capture her. If she is not 
found before the bees get into the box, shake them out 
again, and go through the same process, till you find her. 
As soon as you have secured the queen, the bees, in a few 
minutes, finding themselves destitute of a queen, and not 
having the means of raising another to take her place, 
will rise on the wing, and return to the old stock from 
which they came, and will not come out again, but will 
work in the boxes throughout the season. I will treat of 



28 THE CONTROLLABLE BEE HIVE 

this subject of swarming no further in this chapter. 
The merits of the Controllable Hive and New System of 
Bee Management, will be fully shown further on in this 
work, and the most explicit instructions given for rearing 
bees with profit. 




CHAPTER III. 

PATENT AND NON-PATENT HIVES, BEE 
JOURNALS, ETC. 

J'Ssgf HAVE learned from bitter experience, as has 
-el^.'^fl nearly every one, who has kept bees fbr any 

^,/m*? length of time, the dishonesty, and utter dis- 
~<yg* regard for truth, of a class of speculators who 
prey upon the unsuspecting bee-keeper. Patent hives — 
the great majority of them — are a curse and a hindrance to 
successful and profitable bee keeping. I have no time to 
describe the multitude of worthless patent hives, and the 
many tricks and swindles of the venders of the same, 
but I advise every bee keeper to consult his own interests, 
and have nothing to do with them. Ninety-nine out of 
every hundred are a swindle. I have tested their merits 
and know whereof I affirm. 

The More-patent hives against which I wish to caution the 
bee-keeper, and particularly the beginner, -are those 
offered by A. J. Root, publisher of "Gleanings in Bee Cul- 
ture." Root makes the "Gleanings" the medium for 
advertising and palming off upon the public his wares. 
Don't invest in his trash if you wish to keep bees with 
profit. I am sorry to find that many of the bee journals 
and bee-keepers' associations, are conducted on prejudiced 
and selfish motives, and in the interest of some individual, 
or company of men, for the sole purpose of making money 
from the sale of some particular hive or fixture, without 
regard to merit, or value to the practical bee-keeper. All 



30 PATENT AND NON-PATENT HIVES, 

honest discussion, with a view to bring out facts and 
figures to guide the inexperienced bee-keeper in his labors, 
I am sorry to say, is suppressed. The bee journals should 
be the disseminators of useful knowledge among bee- 
keepers. I am sorry to find the reverse true with many 
of them. After a thorough investigation, I feel it my 
duty to advise bee-keepers, and those contemplating bee- 
keeping, not to take all for granted that they read in the 
bee jotirnals, for if you do, you will be very likely to 
soon find yourself robbed of your money, and your bees 
ruined. 

Very many who write for the bee journals with high 
sounding words, claiming to be adepts in bee culture, 
have really no practical knowledge of the nature and 
habits of bees. We have supported a host of speculators 
in our business, for a long time; the object of this class 
has ever been, how best to secure our hard earnings, and 
with no desire or effort to aid in rendering bee keeping 
more profitable and desirable. The country is full of this 
class, and they always combine to crush out real merit 
in anything pertaining to bee culture, brought before 
the public by individual bee-keepers, who are laboring to 
advance the cause by giving their experiences, gained 
from hard every-day labor among bees. 

For many years I have written articles on bee culture, 
for the leading agricultural journals and newspaper. I 
have thus given much of my experience in detail, with no 
thought of further reward than the satisfaction of having 
contributed to aid bee-keepers in raising bees with 
greater profit, believing if all would so contribute of their 
practical experience with bees, great mutual benefit 
might be gained, and rapid progress made in successful 
and profitable bee culture. In consequence of my course 
in spreading information with a view to aid the cause.the 
class referred to in this chapter, and their tools, are boiling 
over with wrath towards me, lying and slandering me 



BEE JOURNALS, ETC. 31 

through the public press, and by every other means which 
their depraved natures can invent. All because I have 
succeeded by hard study in perfecting a hive and new- 
system of bee management, which is fast coming into 
general use among bee keepers ; consequently the sale of 
their worthless trash is decreasing rapidly. But I am 
anxious to get through with this part of my work, and 
reach the practical part, where I have the greatest con- 
fidence in my ability to give such information as will 
render bee keeping profitable and desirable. 




CHAPTER IV. 



EEDING bees, when judiciously managed, 
is the stepping stone to large profits from 

^^ptfpv" them. 

~^y^ Bee-keepers who have heretofore attempted 
to feed bees have met with poor success. 

A bee-keeper of my acquaintance paid fifty dollars for 
a patent apparatus for feeding bees together in the 
open air. The result was, soon after being fed, they com- 
menced fighting among themselves. The weaker stocks 
first fell prey to the stronger, then the stronger in turn were 
attacked, and the final result was, nearly every stock was 
ruined, and the plan abandoned in disgust after the first 
season's trial. 

Now it is plain to every intelligent person, that in order 
to receive the greatest possible profit from bees, they must 
be fed. There can be no question as to the great benefit 
to be derived from feeding bees. The only question is, 
how, when and what to feed. It is as much a necessity 
to feed bees, as to feed our domestic animals, cows, sheep, 
&c, or to apply manure to plants, or any crop the farmer 
cultivates, to stimulate growth and increase the product, 
and consequent profit of the same. We should look up- 
on that farmer as either a fool or a lunatic, who should 
furnish his domestic animals no food, except what they 
obtained by grazing in the pastures and fields, the year 
round. And do you think his cows treated thus, would 



yield him a large product of butter, cheese and milk, and 
consequently a good profit in dollars and cents? Do you 
think he would find his cows, managed thus, so profitable 
as to induce him to keep cows to any great extent? Let 
a farmer manage thus — take his cows to the barn, milk 
them, then turn them out the year round to graze and 
provide for themselves, taking them up only to milk them, 
furnishing them with no food excep : what they procure 
by grazing — how long, think you, would such a farmer 
have cows to milk? Yet this is a parallel case with the 
bee-keeper who furnishes his bees with no feed except 
what they can procure by their own industry. And is it 
surprising that bees treated thus pay no profit? 

Again, the farmer who should year after year plant his 
corn, potatoes, etc., apply no manure, furnish no cultiva- 
tion, yet expect to succeed in farming, harvest large 
crops, and get a good yearly profit in dollars and cents, 
and grumble because he did not, and at last abandon the 
business, asserting that there was no profit in farming, 
furnishes another parallel ease to the bee-keeper who 
lets his bees shift for themselves, and then grumbles 
because they pay no profit, and at last abandons the 
business, asserting that there is no money in bee-keeping. 

It being self evident that it is profitable to feed bees, it 
now remains to show how to do it with the greatest 
possible profit. 

Receipt for Feed. 

To eight pounds of coffee crushed sugar, add two 
quarts of soft water, and whites of two eggs ; bring to the 
boiling point over a slow fire, being very careful not to 
burn it. Skim off carefully all skum or sediment that 
rises, so that the feed, when cool, will be perfectly clear 
and about the consistency of new honey. 




To construct the feeder,* get a tin-worker to make you a 
tin dish, with perpendicular sides, nine inches square 
inside, three inches deep, ivitfwut a bottom. Around the 
lower edge ttirn the tin out about one half inch all round, 
for the dish to rest on when placed on the hive for feeding 

*With the aid of the engraving, there can be no mistake in con- 
structing the feeder, particularly as its position on the hive is 
shown under head of Construction of Controllable Hive , Chapter 
XVIII. 



35 



the bees. Around the top of this dish put a stout wire to 
keep it in shape Get another tin dish made 8 by 8£ 
inches square inside, two and one-half inches deep, with a 
bottom. Place the smaller dish inside the larger one, the 
bottom of the inner dish even and level' with the lower 
edge of the outer dish, which brings the top of the under 
dish one-half inch lower than the upper edge of the outer 
dish; then when the outer dish is covered, (as it will be 
in feeding,) there will be a halt inch space between the 
cover over the outer dish, and the top of the inner dish. 
Place one of the shorter sides of the inner dish against 
the inside of the outer dish, in such a position that there 
will be a half inch space all round between the outer and 
inner dish, except at the side where you fasten them 
together ; across this one side join them firmly together 
with solder; at the bottom near the opposite end solder 
brass or tin about one inch wide, across the half-inch 
space from the bottom of the inner dish to the ed--e of 
the outer dish, to hold the dishes firmly in place. Near 
the upper edge of the outer dish solder an some strips of 
lead about one inch long, by one-half inch wide, to turn 
down over the corner when put on, to hold it in place. 
Now get out two pieces of half-inch board, eight inches 
long, and two and one-half inches wide; with a thick saw, 
cut channels crosswise of the pieces, three-eighths of an 
inch apart and one-fourth inch deep, the whole length of 
the pieces, being careful to run your saw square across 
the piece every time. Next get out pieces to correspond 
with the number of channels, eight inches long, two and 
one-half inches wide, one-eighth inch thick, (sawed out so 
the sides will be rough, to enable the bees the better to 
hold fast to them, when takirg feed). These pieces are 
to stand edgewise in the inner dish. With a sharp knife 
bring the ends of the pieces to a thin edge, so they will 
easily slip into the channels in the half inch pieces. Put 
the pieces with the channels, one across each end of the 



inner dish, the channels of each facing the inside of the 
dish, then slip the ends of your pieces that are one-eighth 
thick down through the channels, to the bottom of the 
inner dish. Before you put them down into the dish, cut 
out a small notch, in what will be the lower end of each 
piece after it is put down into the dish, so the food when 
poured in will flow to all parts of the feeder. The pieces 
or slats when all put edgewise in the dish will reach to the 
bottom and be on a level with the edges of the inner 
dish. 

Now for the cover: get out a piece of board a half - 
inch thick, nine and one-fourth inches long, four inches 
wide. In the centre of this piece, with a sharp bit, make 
a one-inch hole; cover the hole with fine wire cloth, bent a 
little convex. Put this piece of board over the outer dish, 
with wire cloth next to the inside of the dish, (put it across 
that end where the dishes are soldered together,) hold it 
in place by turning up over it the pieces of lead soldered 
on near the upper edge of the outer dish. Cover the 
bottom of the dish with glass, held in place in the same 
manner, by the leads. 

Your Feeder is now finished. Set it over the brood sec- 
tion on the top, at the rear, the wood cover next to the 
back of the hive, the glass toward the front. Cover that 
portion of the brood section of the hive, not covered with 
the feeder, with a honey board, so no bees can get up into 
the cap of the hive. 

Now to feed, pour the feed in at the inch hole, in the 
cover. The bees pass from the hive up between the sides 
of the outer and inner dishes, in the half-inch space, 
over the sides of the inner dish, in the half-inch space be- 
tween the cover of the outer dish and the edges of the slats 
that are placed edgewise in the inner dish, and pass down 
between the slats, after feed in the inner dish. The hole 
in the cover should be kept closed with a cork, to confine 
the heat to the hive, exclude insects, etc. 



FEEDING. 37 

When first commencing to feed a stock, scatter some of 
the feed over the tops of the frames in the brood section; 
also on the sides of the dishes on each side of the half- 
inch space leading lo the feed, and on top of the slats of 
the feeder, so the bees may find the way to the feed. 
After they once learn the road, they will need no coaxing 
to induce them to take the feed given them. The first 
warm days in early spring, as soon as the bees can fly a 
few hours in the middle of the day, mix corn meal with 
rye meal, equal parts, and set out, in pans or other shoal 
dishes,near the hives. The bees will carry this to their hives 
in considerable quantities. It it used as a substitute for 
pollen or bee bread, and is very essential in forwarding 
the increase of bees in early spring. The meal should 
be fed very early in spring, for as soon as the bees can 
collect pollen from the natural sources — trees, shrubs, 
flowers, etc., they will not take this meal. 

Feeding for Early Swarms. 

If you wish early swarms, keep the bees confined in 
their labors to the brood section of the hive, or in other 
words, do not give them access to the boxes, and com- 
mence as early in the spring as the bees begin to fly in 
the middle "of the day, and feed each stock at evening 
about one-half pound ©f the liquid feed. Continue this till 
your swarms issue, then discontinue feeding. 

Feeding for Surplus Honey. 

If you wish surplus honey instead of swarms, put on 
your side boxes as early in the spring as the bees com- 
mence brisk work on flowei'S, — as a general rule, say a 
few days before fruit blossoms appear. Feed as directed 
for swarms until about ten days before white clover 
blossoms, then put on the top boxes, leaving room only 



for feeder. Then for ten or twelve days feed them aH 
they will take. Feed at evening. They will at first, per- 
haps, take from five to ten pounds every night. Crowd 
them hard, for the object is now to get every part of the 
brood section (not occupied by eggs and brood) filled 
with honey; and if possible, crowd the bees into the boxes 
to commence the work of comb building, so that during 
the yield of honey from flowers, you can get every ounce 
collected, stored in the boxes. 

By early and judicious feeding, we have encouraged 
breeding so that now our hives are filled, almost to over- 
flowing, with l>ees, ready to gather the harvest from the 
flowers as soon as they commence to yield honey. 

Discontinue feeding, while the yield of honey continues 
in full supply from the flowers. At the close of the yield, 
if you have boxes half filled or more, feed ail they will 
take up for a few days, or until your boxes are finished. 

Feeding for Wixtek. 

The last of September or first of October feed such 
stocks as are short of stores, to winter them. Each stock 
should have twenty pounds of honey in the brood section 
to winter safely. If they have less than that, feei\ until 
they have that quantity, or take a frame of honey from a 
stock that has some to spare, and exchange with the one 
that is short, and so proceed until all have sufficient 
stores to winter safely. 

In no case take out frames at the close of the season, 
and leave that space without a frame, or with an empty 
frame. At the commencement of winter every hive must 
(to winter safely) have its full number of frames filled 
with comb, no matter if they are not filled with honey (if 
the hive has the required number of pounds,) but each 
frame must be filled, or nearly filled with comb, or there 
is great danger of loss from sudden changes of tempera- 
ture through the winter. 



In feeding for box honey, it often requires more than 
one pound of feed to secure a pound in boxes, for the 
bees consume some while storing it, and they often find 
some place in the hive which, like the crowded omnibus 
or street car, is not so full but that additions may 
be made. 

The reader will bear in mind this simple fact: Bees do 
not make honey, they simply collect it. Honey undergoes 
no chemical change in the stomach of the bee. 

Several years since.my bees had access to several molas- 
ses hogsheads, and the result was, I found pure molasses 
stored in my hives, in the same comb with nice white 
honey. I am satisfied that the bee does not make honey, 
but collects it. My feed is prepared and recommended in 
view of this fact, and in perfect accord with all points 
bearing upon this subject. 

The feed is of the same color as the nicest, white clover 
honey, and when put in boxes by the bees with the honey 
collected from flowers, (I have no doubt in many 
instances in alternate layers in the same cell with honey 
from flowers,) it cannot be distinguished, either in color 
or taste, from honey collected wholly from flowers. 




CHAPTER V. 

BOXES FOR SURPLUS HONEY. 

N the last chapter directions were given, when 
to put on boxes, but it is important to know- 
more about this matter, the kind of boxes to 
"Sp use, how made, etc. I shall recommend a 
glass-box ; that is, glass sides with wood corner-posts, top, 
and bottom,* such as I use with the Controllable Hive. 
The size and description of box is as follows, viz : get 
out a piece of board six and three-sixteenths inches long, 
by four and three-sixteenths inches wide; three-sixteenths 
inch thick for the top of box; anothpr, same size, for 
bottom. For the top boxes, that is, the boxes that are to 
be placed over the brood section, with a sharp bit make 
four one-inch holes in one of the pieces, for the passage of 
the bees from the hive to the top boxes ; next get out four 
pieces, five inches long, five-eighths square, for corner- 
posts to the boxes. Rebate two sides of each post about 
one-fourth inch square, to receive the glass sides and ends, 
which are held in place by small tin points. Get glass 
for the boxes 5x5£ inches square for the sides, and 3£x5 
inches square for the ends. Nail the bottom and top to 
the ends of the posts, having the corner of the post come 
out even with the corners of top and bottom. A small 



♦These boxes arc shown in engravings under head of Consi ruc- 
tion of Controllable Hive, Chapter XVIII, which, with the descrip- 
tion here given, cannot fail to be understood. 



BOXES FOR SURPLUS HONEY. 41 

(half-inch) finishing brad will hold the posts in place. 
While nailing, hold the box perfectly square. 

For the side boxes, omit the holes in bottom, and leave 
out the glass from one end, and in place of the glass put 
in a piece of wood five inches long, two inches wide, three- 
eighths inch thick ; place this piece in the center at the 
end, leaving an open space next to each corner post at 
that end for the passage of the bees from the hive to the 
boxes. 

These boxes are just wide enough for two combs run- 
ning the longest way of the box. Before putting in the 
glass, if you have any pieces of white, clean comb, it will 
be a great advantage to stick two small pieces of this 
comb in each box, where you wish the comb built. Place 
the pieces in the top of the box two inches apart. Melt 
the edge of the comb and apply in place where you want 
it, while hot; hold it in place till it cools, and it will 
remain. 

The bees will commence work much sooner in boxes 
with the comb than they would without, even if the 
pieces of comb are not more than an inch square. 

These boxes, when well filled with honey, will each 
weigh about four and one-half pounds. Honey in the 
boxes is very attractive, and is sought for in the market 
by customers who have purchased in this form. Honey 
put up in these nice glass boxes shows its superior quality 
at a glance, and customers prefer to purchase in such 
boxes, with no tare deducted for weight of box, to pur- 
chasing in the ordinary wood box with the weight of the 
box deducted. 

In taking these boxes from the hive, wheu filled with 
honey, in warm weather, I recommend the following 
method : Take the boxes off early in the morning, and 
carry them to some outbuilding, and put them in a clean, 
tight box or barrel ; place the boxes in such a manner 
that the openings in the boxes will be free for the pass- 



42 BOXES FOR SURPLUS HONEY. 

age of the bees from them. Spread over thfc box or 
barrel, a thin piece of cloth. The bees will leave the 
boxes, and collect on the under side of the cloth, which 
must be turned every few minutes, until all are out, 
except a few drones and very 3 r oung Lees; these can be 
taken out with a pencil. To facilitate the removal of the 
bees from the boxes, if any are obstinate about leaving, 
remove the glass in the sides of the boxes, if the cover is 
not fastened to it. The greater part of the bees from 
these boxes will return to their hives; excepting a very 
few young ones which had never before been away from 
the hive; these will be lost. Thirty boxes like the ones 
here recommended fit each controllable hive — ten on each 
side, and ten on top over the brood section.* 

When boxes are to be taken off, use tobacco smoke 
freely, to quiet the anger of the bees. Puff smoke in at 
the entrance of the hive, before you touch it, then start 
the top boxes from their fastening, giving the bees a puff 
or two of smoke at every crevice about the boxes at the 
top and sides. 

*When the box frames or partitions are taken out in the honey 

season, the bees will often, if the i-took is strong, spread out over 
the bottom, so that in putting the frame in, a large number will get 
crushed. To prevent this.get out two pieces of woo 1, each about one 
and one-half inches wide, and < ne-fourth inch thick, one eighteen 
inches long, the other twenty-two inches long; one edge of the 
long piece bevel to a thin edge, about the shape of a carpenter's 
chisel. Kail the long piece in the center to the end of the short 
piece at right angles with it, with the beveled edge down, so the 
beveled edge will be level with the end of the short piece; also 
bevel the lower end of the short piece. When the bees are spread 
over the bottom of the box section, with this instrument pash 
them gently back to the brood section. To do this, thrust the instru- 
ment down into the box section with the beveled edge down; tak- 
ing hold of the end of the short piece, or handle, work the bees 
gently back to the brood section, and when close up to the combs 
of the hive, let it remain to keep the bees from spreading over the 
bottom till you get the box frame down in its place, then remove 
it, and push the box frame up close to the brood section, so the 



BOXES TOli SURPLUS HONEY. 43 

Cake of Honey in Boxes en Warm Weather. 

Considerable care is necessary for the preservation of 
honey in boxes removed from the hives in warm weather. 
As soon as the bees are all out of the boxes, seal up all 
openings to the boxes, and set them away (in the same 
position they occupied in the hive, so the honey will not 
leak fivm the cells) in a dry, dark, cool room. We must 
now guard against the moth. 

As in warm weather the instincts of the fly is directed 
to the dead carcase, so is the moth directed to honey-comb 
left without bees in the summer season, and by a similar 
process is each destroved. When the bees have been off 
about ten days, or perhaps a little less if the weather is 
very warm, examine closely for the first appearance of 
the moth worms on the surface of the combs in the boxes. 
Their presence may be known by small, thread-like 
webs or cocoons on the surface of the comb, growing 
larger as the moth worm enlarges in growth. If no 
remedy is applied, these worms will completely destroy 
the beauty of the honey in the boxes in a very few days. 
Watch the boxes closely, and on the first appearance of 
the least sign of worms in the boxes, fumigate with 
burning sulphur, thus: open the passages in the boxes ; 
have ready a- tight, clean box; saturate some very dry 
pine shavings with melted sulphur. After placing your 



ends of the boxes will be as near the brood combs, as the inside 
board of the partition was when the combs were built. If this is 
not done, and a large space is left, the bees will either lengthen the 
cells in the outer comb of the brood section, or build a new comb, 
between the ends of the boxes, and the outer comb of the brood 
section. In either case, we would find it very troublesome when 
we remove the boxes, and wish to put in the partition for winter- 
ing. Be sure to put the large box frame up close to the combs of 
the brood section, that is, leave barely space enough for the bees 
to pass between the ends of the boxes, and the outer comb of the 
brood section. 



44 BOXES FOK SURPLUS HONEY. 

boxes of honey in the box, set a saucer or plate in the 
box at the bottom, away from the honey boxes, so they 
will not take fire. Do not use too many shavings; if you 
do, it will injure the honey comb in the boxes, by giving 
it a green color, and imparting to it a disagreeable taste; 
a half-dozen shavings each four inches long is enough. 
Place them in the dish and ignite them, and cover closely, 
so no fumes can escape; let them remain for 9. few min* 
utes, (not more than five, less is often sufficient; it 
depends something on the amount of sulphur adhering 
to the shavings, as well as the size of box, number of 
boxes to be fumigated, etc.) With a little practice you 
will manage correctly and successfully. As soon as the 
boxes are fumigated, seal up every opening carefully, 
and set away as before directed, in a dry, dark, cool 
room. Watch the boxes for a few days, to be sure 
the worms are all killed. If you find they are not, give 
them another dose of the sulphur. After the worms are 
all killed, and every opening to the box sealed up, wrap 
each box separately in paper, and they will be safe 
through the summer. 

How the eggs of the moth get into the boxes, has 
always puzzled bee-keepers. It is hardly possible for the 
moth miller to pass through a hive crowded with bees, 
to deposit her eggs in the crowded boxes. How they 
get there must be guess work — that they are there, 
is well known to many bee keepers. I feel very con- 
fident that the eggs are deposited there after the boxes 
are taken from the hive, and while we are getting the 
bees out of the boxes. 



CHAPTER VL 

SWARMING AND HIVING. 



J>^[ /^NDER the old systems of bee keeping, 
■-:.^'- .■ § J swarming was very imperfectly understood. 
"T^J) And even at the present time it is amusing 
^?cQ) to see novv m;in y °ld bee-keepers manage 
their bees. This is a class of old fogies, who denounce all 
improvements and progress in bee keeping, and who, year 
after year, move in the same tracks in the management of 
their bees, asserting that they know all about bees that is 
worth knowing. It is, to say the least, amusing, to see 
how this class of bee-keepers manage when their bees 
swarm. 

In the middle of some very warm day in June or July, 
the alarm " bees swarming," is sounded. Immediately the 
whole household is turned out, some beating tin pans, 
some sounding horns, some shaking cow bells — anything 
and everything with which to make a terrible din is 
caught up in the excitement, and every member of the 
household works with the sole aim of making as much 
noise as possible. This is done to make the bees cluster ! 
If this is not done, they will leave for the woods! I should 
think the poor bees would leave any way, to get rid of the 
noise and the foolish whims of their owner. But no, 
they dislike to leave the place of their nativity, so in 
ten minutes or less from the time they leave the 
hive, they settle in a cluster on some object, generally 



46 SWARMING AND HIVING. 

within a half-dozen rods of the hive. And they would 
have done so in this case if no noise had been made. The 
noise did not affect them in the least. 

Now the bees are to be hived, and we will see how it is 
done in the old way. 

The bees in this ease have clustered on a limb of a 
valuable pear tree. "Very sorry they have pitched there," 
says the man of perfect knowledge in bee keeping;; "I 
dislike to injure that tree, but there is no help for it." 

But first a hive must be prepared. It is not quite ready. 
(This is bad management.) It must be washed out 
thoroughly on the inside with salt and water, and rubbed 
over with some sweet scented herbs. A bottom board 
must be got ready etc.. etc. At last the hive is ready. 
Now this wise bee keeper places a table near whpre the 
swarm clustered, sets his hive on the table, raises one 
edge four or six inches, takes his saw — Oh, it is a pity to 
cut that nice limb full of fruit from the pear tree; but 
it must be done, thinks this man of perfection in bee 
management. 

He grasps the limb firmly near the cluster of bees. 
They are very cross, and uneasy. They have been 
clustered an hour or more, while he has been getting 
his hive ready. He saws off the limbs on which the 
bees are hanging, and places it carefully, with the bees 
adhering, on the table, by the side of the hive, covers all 
very nicely with a clean sheet, and leaves them alone to 
enter the hive. At about sunset he will place the hive 
with the bees in it on the stand it is to occupy. 

At the time designated (about sunset) he goes out to his 
hive on the table. It has been a very hot afternoon, and 
the hive was where it received the full force of the sun's 
rays. He carefully raises the sheet. There is the limb on 
which the bees clustered, but where are the bees, they 
are not on the limb? Why, in the hive, of course. That is 
where he expected to find them. He peeps carefully under 



SWARMING AND HIVING. 47 

the hive to see how they are getting along, but astonish- 
ment is depicted on his countenance when he discovers 
that his hive is empty. His bees have left for other parts 
beyond his knowledge. He tries to think of some 
reason why the bees have gone, and seeks to lay the 
blame upon the hive. "Oh!" he says "I guess they did 
not like the hive, but I guess I shall have better luck 
next time." 

To a progressive bee keeper, one who has correct and 
practical knowledge of the natural habits of bees, it is 
very plain why they left. They were actually driven 
away by mismanagement. The heat of the sun pouring 
down upon them, was enough of itself to drive them off. 
Then placing the limb, with the cluster adhering to it, 
on the table near the hive, showed lack of knowledge 
of the natural habits of bees. The hive might as well 
have been in the house, as placed where it was. Then 
the hour or more taken to get the hive ready, gave the 
bees time to send out their scouts, to look up a location 
of their own, and when these scouts returned, they left 
with them for a new home. T contend every swarm does 
this, viz : They swarm out of the old parent stock, led 
by the old queen. They cluster on some object, as a tree, 
brush or vine, near the old home. Then they immediately 
send out a few bees or scouts to look up a new home. 
These scouts may be gone a longer or shorter time. 
When they return, if they find the bees clustered where 
they were when they left, they soon lead them off to the 
new quarters, but if before the scouts are sent out, or 
before they return, the swarm is hived and placed on the 
stand it is to occupy, then the swarm will not leave, for 
the scouts know not where to find them, or if they should 
find them, the bees would seldom leave a good clean hive, 
for a home in the woods. These scouts may often be 
seen playing about tlie place where a swarm has clustered, 
for several days after the swarm has been hived. 



48 SWARMING AND HIVING. 

Had tills bee keeper placed his hire on the table, as 
soon as the bees were clustered, and raised the front edge 
one inch, instead of four or six inches, and then, instead of 
cutting off the limbs, if he had taken a basket or pan, 
placed it beneath the cluster of bees, and by a sudden jar 
of the limb dislodged them from it into the basket or 
pan, then emptied them down in front of the hive, and 
sprinkled lightly with a little water, at the same time 
disturbing them gently with a quill or light brush so 
they would not collect around and block up the entrance, 
except a very few that may be flying in the air (and these 
will return to the old hive,) in this way getting them 
all into the hive, and immediately carrying it to the 
stand it was to occupy, covering it with a board to 
shade it from the hot rays of the sun, or placing it in the 
shade of a tree, he would have saved his bees, the damage 
to his pear tree, and much perplexity. 

By the old methods of managing bees, there were no 
means of knowing when to expect swarms; consequently 
the bees were sometimes watched all summer, in expecta- 
tion of swarms any pleasant day, as outside indications 
were fa vol able for them ; yet they would often adhere to 
the old hive throughout the entire summer. 

With the controllable hive and new system of bee 
management, as shown in this work, swarming is brought 
completely under the control of the bee keeper. It is 
well for him to understand correctly what are the requisites 
and preparations for natural swarming by the bees, 
when left to themselves in a natural state. They are as 
follows : The bees must be obtaining honey freely, either 
from flowers, or from feed supplied them. The combs 
must be filled with brood in all stages of growth, from 
the egg just deposited in the cell, to the perfect bee just 
emerging. (And from this, bee keepers will note what 
conditions are required at the time swarms are forced, 
as recommended in my plan.) When this condition of 



SWARMIMG AND HIVIXG. 49 

affairs is reached, the bees construct queen cells, (that 
is, if they deride to swarm ; they will do as they like about 
it, if left entirely to themselves,) from which in about 
sixteen days the queens will hatch, unless the bees should 
change their intentions, and decide not to swarm, and 
destroy all the queen cells. Remember, they are having 
it all their own w:iy. When these cells are sealed over and 
finished is the time (if everything is favorable), when the 
first swarm leaves, led off by the old queen. Some of 
the most reliable works on bees have taught that the 
queen cells must be half finished before the queen will 
deposit the egg ihnt is to produce the queen ; but this, I 
find by close observation, is a mistake; for if you take 
the queen away from a stock, with no queen cells in any 
stage of formation in the hive, the bees will rear a queen 
from a worker egg, deposited in an ordinary worker cell. 
And who shall say they do not do this when the queen is 
present? lam satisfied they do. 

Thus we see in natural swarming, with the bees left to 
themselves, the old queen leaves with the first swarm, at 
about the time the queen cells are sealed over and 
finished, which is about eight clays before the young 
queens hatch. 

When the young queens hatch, after-swarms (as sec- 
ond and third issues, or all after the first,) will issue. 
Second swarms may be expected in about eight daj's after 
the first. This time will sometimes vary, as the hatch- 
ing of the queen somewhat depends on the weather, 
the number of bees left in the old stock, etc. ; a low tem- 
perature retards the hatching, while a high temperature 
forwards it. 

At evening of about the eighth or tenth day after the 
first swarm, by putting your ear close to the hive you will 
hear, very plainly, every few minutes, several clear and 
distinct "peeping" sounds, very sharp at times, then 
hoarse and dull. This sound proceeds from the young 



50 SWARMING AND HIVING. 

queen just hatched. When it is heard, look out for a 
swarm the next day ; though it sometimes happens that 
one or two days will intervene before they will issue. 
But as long as the sound continues, be on the lookout for 
swarms. This "peeping" can always be heard before a 
second swarm issues, if we will take the trouble to listen. 
The time between second and third swarms is invariably 
from one to four days. It is useless to look for after-swarms 
from a stock after twenty days from the first. They are 
generally all out within sixteen days from the issue of the 
first swarm. I have given in another place, under the 
head of '"Swarming Controlled," instructions how to 
manage swarming under my new system. Some 
additional information I will give in this connection. 

Just before swarms are expected, if there are no trees 
near your hives, or if there are large trees from which it 
would be difficult to take a swarm of bees were they to 
cluster on the branches, procure several evergreen trees, 
such as spruce or fir, three or four feet high. Leave the 
limbs on, excepting about a foot at the bottom. Sha> pen 
the trunks, so they can be set in the ground and lifted out 
with ease. With a bar make large holes, about a foot 
deep, in front of your hives, some distant about six feet, 
others from twelve to thirty feet. Set a half-dozen or more 
of these trees in these holes, putting in by the side of 
them a small stone or piece of wood, to hold firmly in place 
and prevent swaying by the wind. When your swarms 
issue, they will be very likely to cluster on some of these 
trees, when they can be conveniently gathered in the 
Controllable Hive. 

In hiving, if the bees have clustered on some one of 
the trees set for them, place the Controllable Hive on the 
stand it is to occupy, allowing the stand to project two 
feet in front of the hive. Draw back the bottom board 
under the brood section ten or fifteen inches, to give the 
bees a good chance to enter the hive. Shade tlie hive well. 



SWARMING AND HIVING. 51 

Now go to the tree on which your swarm is clustered. 
Remove the stone or piece of wood that holds it in place ; 
lift the tree, carefully avoiding any jar, carry it to the hive, 
and hold the cluster down to the stand and close up to 
the hive, as near the entrance as possible. Then give the 
tree a sudden jar, sufficient to dislodge the cluster of bees. 
They will fall directly at the entrance of the hive, and 
immediately commence to enter. Sprinkle lightly with 
water, and gently disturb those that stop about the 
entrance, with a quill or brush, till all are made to enter 
the hive. Then slide the bottom board forward to its 
place and the work is done. 

Should the bees cluster on some large tree or other out 
of the way place, the manner of hiving must be varied. 
Set your hive near by with a wide board in front to keep 
the bees out of the grass and dirt. Arrange the hive as 
before directed. If the bees are clustered on a small 
limb, high above your reach, secure a basket to a pole, 
and raise it directly beneath the cluster. Dislodge the 
bees from their position, when they will fall directly 
into the basket, which you should take down quickly and 
shake the bees from it down to the entrance to the hive, 
and proceed as before. Keep the limb on which they were 
clustered in motion for a few minutes, to prevent their 
return. Should they clus'cr on the body of a tree, or a 
large limb, where they cannot be shaken off, set your 
hive near by, as before directed, and with a handled dipper 
dip them off and turn them down in front of the hive near 
the entrance. Dip very carefully, so as not to crush any 
of the bees. They will not attempt to sting if you treat 
them well, and pi-ove to them that you are their friend. 
After you have dipped off a portion of the bees, and got 
them moving into the hive, if the queen is with them, 
they will all leave the cluster and join their companions 
who are entering their new home. But if the queen 
remains with the cluster, as soon as those entering the 



52 SWAKMING AND HIVING. 

hive discover that she is not with them, they will leave 
the hive and rejoin the cluster. So it is well to keep 
dipping as long as you can get any of the bees, or till 
you are certain the bees are leaving the cluster and enter- 
ing the hive of their own accord 

It sometimes happens in natural swarming, that when 
a swarm issues, led by the old queen, which has occupied 
the hive for a year or more, that she finds herself unable 
to fly, and drops down in front of the hive. In this case, 
if left to themselves, the bees, after flying about for per- 
haps five or ten minutes, will return to the hive from 
whence they came, and remain until the young queens 
hatch, issuing again, about the time a second swarm 
would have come out, or perhaps a little earlier. 

If you are on hand you can prevent the swarm return- 
ing, but you must be lively. If you find the bees are 
flying longer than usual without clustering, and appear 
scattered and disorganized in their movements, look in 
front of the hive from which they issued, for the queen. 
You will p.obably find her within two or three feet of 
the hive. Put her in a tumbler, and cover closely, to 
prevent her escape. As soon as you find the bees have 
commenced to return to the old hive, set it back out of 
the way, and throw a sheet or some other covering over it.* 
Then set your Controllable Hive in its place, with the 
bottom board drawn back as directed in hiving a new 
swarm. Set the tumbler containing the queen over the 
brood section, so the confined queen can pass down into 
the hive, but leaving no chance for her to escape by any 
other way. The bees will then enter the hive readily. 
And as soon as all are in, which will be in a few minutes, 



*If other hives are near, on each side.it will be well to throw the 
covering over them also, to prevent the swarm entering any other 
than the designed hive, as they might possibly do, if the hives 
were only a few feet distant. 



SWAKM1NG AXD IIIVIXG-. 53 

remove the hive to a new stand and shade as directed 
before. Set the old stock back in its former place. 

The foregoing circumstance often happens when bees 
are managed on the old swarming plan, and queens that 
are unable to fly are usually very old. On my plan of 
management such cases are of rare occurrence. 

Natural swarms usually issue between nine o'clock in 
the forenoon, and one o'clock in the afternoon. 
Occasionally one will issue earlier in the forenoon or 
later in the afternoon ; but as a general rule they make 
their appearance between the hours specified. 

Very early swarms hived in Controllable Hives should 
have access to the boxes on one side only. In about ten 
days after being hived, and as soon as the bees are well at 
work in these, give them access to the other side. 
Swarms that are hived late in the season, will not require 
boxes, until the next season, as it is necessary to have 
the brood section filled, or nearly filled, before the bees 
have access to the boxes. 

It is important that we have the combs in the brood 
section built straight in the frames, so as to be easily 
lifted out separately. To aid in securing this object, 
when a swarm is first hived in a controllable hive, raise 
the rear of the hive four inches, by putting under it a 
piece of joist,- having the hive perfectly level from side to 
side. This gives the frames a pitch forward, and will 
greatly aid in securing straight combs. Let the hive re- 
main in this position for a week or ten days, then set it 
down level. If you have it to spare, one frame filled 
with comb placed in the brood section near the center will 
insure straight combs in the balance. If no precaution is 
taken in this direction, the bees will sometimes build the 
comb crosswise of the brood section, notwithstanding the 
triangular comb guides in the frames of each controllable 
hive. As straight combs in the brood section are very 



54 SWARMING AND HIVING. 

important, we should employ every available means to 
aid in securing them. 

It is well to keep on hand a few plain boxes, each with 
four movable frames, like those in the controllable hive. 
If at any time a swarm comes out at the very last of the 
honey season, hive them in one of these boxes. They 
will probably enlarge or quite fill the four frames with 
comb, and perhaps store a little honey. Then, in the fall, 
put these four frames, with the bees and comb, in a con- 
trollable hive, and add two frames, well filled with honey, 
from a stock that can spare it. In this way you will 
build up a good stock for winter, whereas if you had 
hived them in a full sized contiollable hive so late in the 
season, they would probably have put a little comb in 
each of the six frames, but not enough to winter, render- 
ing it necessary for you to feed with <he liquid feed in 
the fall. It is better to have four frames nearly or quite 
filled with comb, than to have six frames with a very 
little comb in each. 

It sometimes happens that a swarm of bees, which has 
worked well in boxes through the entire honey season, 
will swarm out about the time the yield of honey oonses. 
If managed on the old plan, such swarms are worthless, 
but by hiving them in a box with four movable frames, 
as directed, they make valuable stocks. All such swarms 
may be returned to the old stock, as directed in another 
chajiter, yet we sometimes wish to increase the number 
of our stocks to the utmost, and it is convenient to know 
how to make valuable stock of these late issues. Then they 
can either be returned or hived, whichever the bee keeper 
thinks is most for his or her interest. 



CHAPTER VII. 

ANGER OF BEES. 

^HE anger of bees, when once thoroughly 
, aroused, is much to be dreaded, as the 
results which follow are often of a very 
serious nature. In my own case, I can handle bees with 
perfect impunity. They rarely make any attempt to 
sting, no matter what liberties I take with them. I 
always intend to be very careful, and handle them gently, 
making them understand that I do not mean to harm 
them. In my first efforts in handling bees they were 
very apt to sting me, for the reason that I did not under- 
stand their nature; consequently they mistook my 
intentions, and often forced me to seek shelter from their 
attacks. Now I seldom use any protection when working 
among them. Often, in transfering the bees and comb 
from the old box hive to the Controllable Hive, I roll up 
my sleeves, and with no protection whatever, for the 
hands or face, cut out the comb from the old hive, with 
the bees adhering to it, and arrange and fasten it in the 
new hive, without the bees making any attempt to sting 
me. 

I would not recommend any one to do this, until they 
are so well acquainted with, and accustomed to handling, 
the bees, as to understand perfectly their every character- 
istic, and be quite certain that they will not make an 
attack. It is better to protect the hands and face from 



56 ANGEK OF BEES. 

their attacks, as you will thus feel greater confidence in 
yourself, and can perform all operations without fear of 
stings. It is well to understand what will arouse the 
anger of bees, and cause them to sting. If we breathe 
upon them, when they are in or about the hive or boxes, 
they deem it an insult, and will dash at and sting us at 
once. Any sudden jar of the hive is instantly resented. 
All quick, spiteful motions about the hive, such as run- 
ning, jumping, etc., is noticed, and quite sure to be fol- 
lowed by a sting. The finger pointed at them with a 
quick, spiteful motion when they are standing as sentinels 
about the entrance of the hive, often provokes stings. If 
they come buzzing around, threatening to sting, perhaps 
striking your hat almost like a bullet, and should you 
return the compliment by striking at them with your 
hand, they will be quite sure to sting you. The better 
way is, if unprotected, to hold down your head so as to 
protect your face, and move away from the hive as 
quietly as possible. When the bees find you are retreating, 
they will not follow you far. Always remember that if 
one bee stings you, others are very sure to immediately 
follow, unless you retreat. I believe that bees have a 
language by which they make known to each other their 
wants and wishes; and I feel certain the}' know those 
who have the care of them, and become accustomed to 
the motions and appearance of those who are seen by 
them daily. 

The members of my family are seldom stung by the 
bees, notwithstanding I sometimes have fifty hives or 
more where we pass within twenty feet of them many 
times a day, while the bees are flying in thousands about 
each hive. In the middle of the day, in the honey season, 
the air for many rods about the hives is full of bees. I 
find my bees are much more likely to attack strangers 
who come to see them, than members of the family. 



ANGER OF BEES. 57 

To Subdue the Angek of Bees. 

I have tested every means recommended for subduing 
the anger of bees, and have found tobacco smoke the 
thing, when rightly applied. 

Have a tin-worker make you a tin tube, one inch in 
diameter, six inches long, and fit stoppers of soft wood 
closely in each end, two and three inches long respectively, 
with a hole through each, one-fourth inch in diameter. 
Fit one end of the longer stopper to hold in the mouth. 
Before placing the shorter piece in the tube, cover the 
inside end with wire cloth, bent a little convex, to pre- 
vent the ashes and tobacco filling the quarter-inch orifice. 
Taper the outer end of the short piece nearly to a point. 
Remove the mouth-piece, and fill the tube nearly full of 
tobacco (cigars are best, for they burn freely.) Dip with 
live embei's, replace the mouth-piece and blow the smoke 
from the pointed end. 

With this instrument smoke may be forced among the 
bees in any part of the hive or boxes. In all operations 
likely to arouse the anger of the bees, as taking off and 
putting on boxes, lifting out comb frames, putting on 
and taking off feeder, removing the honey board, examin- 
ing the rearing boxes in queen raising, etc., smoke the 
hive well. In-short, use smoke freely when about to per- 
ioral any operation upon the bees. Before touching the 
hive give the bees two or three smart puffs at each entrance 
of the liive; then commence your operations immediately. 
If the honey board is over the brood section, and your 
operations are to be performed in that part of the hive, 
raise the board just enough to puff in the smoke, but not 
enough for the bees to come out. Give them the smoke 
here freely for about one minute, before you remove the 
board. They will show their submission by a loud hum- 
ming throughout the hive. When they set up this hum- 
ming noise is the time to proceed with your work, 



58 ANGER OF BEES. 

Remove the honey board entirely, keeping the smoker at 
hand ready for use, and giving them a puff of smoke 
occasionally to keep them under submission. 

It is best for the inexperienced bee raiser to protect the 
hands and face in all operations, at least until he feels 
perfect confidence in his ability to avoid irritating the 
bees sufficiently to cause them to sting. To protect the 
hands, wear thick woolen mittens, with very long wrists, 
so they will come up over the dress or coat sleeve, thus 
protecting the hands and wrists completely from stings. 
To protect the face and neck, get coarse black lace, one- 
half yard wide and a yard and a quarter in length. Take 
three-fourths of this piece for the front breadth, and the 
balance for the back breadth. Seam together at the 
selvedges, and gather the upper edge on an elastic cord so 
as to fit closely, and draw around the crown of the hat 
When putting on the hat ready for use, leave the longer 
part in front, to button beneath the coat or vest of a gentle- 
man or the sack of a lady. At the back the lace tucks 
beneath the collar. Thus protected, we are perfectly safe 
from stings, and can see as well, and perform all opera- 
tions nearly as well, as when uncovered. 

The best antidote for stings is the application of water 
in which salt has been dissolved — a heaping teaspoon ful 
of salt to a teacupful of water. Bathe the affected part 
freely, and in severe cases take a swallow of the salt and 
water into the stomach. Avoid rubbing or irritating the 
stung part. Be sure to extract the sting immediately, 
as the longer it remains the more serious will be the 
consequence?. 



CHAPTER YIII. 

THE BEE MOTH. 

iiJfcs^fN some localities the bee moth is said to be very 

'/ 41 destructive, yet I regard the depredations of this 

Videos insect as much less to be feared than some bee- 

-"c^p keepers suppose. The bee moth is the agency 

provided by nature for returning back to the earth the 

contents of any hive when left by the bees, in the same 

manner that the flesh fly is the means provided for 

returning to the earth the carcase of any animal. 

I do not believe that a strong, healthy stock of bees was 
ever attacked and destroyed by the bee moth. The stock 
must from some cause become reduced in numbers, so 
there are not bees enough to cover all the comb, before 
the moth will make an attack. But when the comb is 
unprotected, the moth follows the instinct of its nature, 
and deposits her eggs in it. The bees from some cause 
keep decreasing, and the moth continues depositing her 
eggs in the vacated comb, until the entire comb of the 
hive is a complete mass of vile worms, the progeny of 
the bee moth. 

About this time the bee keeper notices for the first 
time, (for, if he is keeping bees on the old plan, he lets 
them take their own course, believing if he meddles with 
them, they will "run out,") that something is wrong 
with that hive. So he examines them, and finds the 
combs a mass of webs, with hundreds of moth millers 



CO THE EEE MOTH. 

among the combs, and the combs themselves filled with 
vile worms. "Ah!" he says, "the bee moth has destroyed 
that swarm of bees;' 1 when in fact the bee moth had no 
more to do with bringing about the loss than the mag- 
gots, found in the carcase of a nice lamb destroyed by 
dogs, had to do with destroying the life of the animal. 
"Oh," says some wise bee keeper, "I know better than 
that, for I have seen the bee moth flying about my hives 
and trying to get in." Very well ; I have seen the flesh fly 
circling about live animals, but think you there was any 
danger from them, as long as the animal was in health? 
Not a bit. Neither is there any danger from the bee moth, 
if you keep your stocks of bees strong and healthy. But 
if you have weak or diseased stock, or hav£ honey in 
boxes in warm weather unprotected by the bees, look out 
for the bee moth. 

Fumigate with sulphur all combs taken from hives in 
warm weather; immediately after which, seal up closely 
in well-made hives or boxes, to prevent access by the 
moth miller. All combs taken out late in the fall, and 
kept through the winter in a place where they will be 
liable to freeze, may be sealed up so the moth cannot 
gain access to them, and the contents will keep safely 
through the next summer. Freezing destroys the vitality 
of the moth eggs. Fumigating with sulphur, as 
directed in "Care of Box Honey in Warm Weather," 
will destroy the moth worms, and prevent damage 
to the combs, if they receive attention within a few 
days after the eggs are hatched ; but if the worms are 
suffered to remain for any considerable length of time, 
the combs will be badly damaged, if not entirely ruined. 
In protecting honey or empty comb from the bee moth in 
warm weather, every bee keeper should recollect that 
eternal vigilance is the price of success! With the Con- 
trollable Hive and new system of bee management, the 
true condition of stocks is known at all times. The 



THE BEE MOTH. 



61 



stocks are very populous in July and August, which is 
the time the bee moth is most numerous about the hives. 
I never had a stock damaged by the bee moth since I 
adopted my present system of bee management. 





CHAPTER IX. 

ROBBING. 

^OSS of stocks by robbing shows carelessness,, 
or a lack of knowledge as to the proper care 
of bees. Not one strong, healthy stock of bees 
i in a thousand will be robbed, if proper precau- 
tion is taken. During a copious yield of honey there is very 
little danger of robbing. When there is a slack in the 
yield, the bees will search about for plunder, and if a 
weak stock is found, they will be very likely to attack it. 

It is the duty of every intelligent bee-keeper to know 
the exact condition of his stocks at all times, and if from 
any cause he has a weak stock, be sure to ascertain the 
cause of their weakness, and if they are healthy stocks, 
contract the entrances, in accordance with the number 
of bees to pass. But if they are found to be diseased, re- 
move them. The bee, like the human race, is much better 
able to defend itself agjainst the attacks of an enemy when 
there is but one avenue of approach, than if there are 
several. 

No refuse honey should be placed in the open air, 
accessible to all the bees alike, as this would be very 
likely to create a desire for plunder, and incite robbing. 

Never, when a stock is being robbed, change it from 
one stand to another a few rods distant, to prevent rob- 
bing; for this is a very great injury to the stock, as all the 
bees that have marked the location (at the season when 



63 



robbing will most like)}' occur,) will return to the old 
stand, and be lost. The best remedy, or rather preventa- 
tive against robbing, is to contract the entrances to the 
hive. After bees have once commenced robbing, and 
have been successful in capturing and plundering one 
stock, they will, as soon as they have secured the honey 
from that one, attack some other with great impetuosity. 
Success in plundering renders them ver} 7 courageous; but 
if you have contracted the entrances as directed, they 
will be very likely to meet their match, and learn a good 
lesson. A little punishment is necessary to teach them 
their proper place. 

I knew one of these old wise-heads — such a one as 
spoken of in the chapter on " Swarming and Hiving" — 
to use his familiar logic: "What he didn't know about 
bees wasn't worth knowing. He didn't want any book 
larnin' to know how to keep bees; he had allers kept 'em, 
and' his father before him." Well, tins Mr. Wiseman 
found, or thought he had found, that his neighbor's bees 
were robbing his stocks. "Zounds!" says he, "I'll fix 
'em!" So he goes early in the morning, before the bees 
are flying, and confines his stock, which he thought was 
being robbed, by nailing a piece of board closely over 
each entrance to the hive, so no bees could pass in or out. 
About sunrise; or a little later, the robber bees begin to 
collect on the front of his hive, seeking to gain access. 
He waits until a quart or more have collected, and then 
he takes two or three quarts of boiling water, and dashes 
it upon them. This he continues through that clay, and 
the next, at intervals, as often as there are any bees col- 
lected on the front of his hive. During this time he has 
killed more than a half bushel of bees. The third day 
he opens his hive, but to his great surprise, no bees 
appear, and on examination he finds the bees all dead. 
They had suffocated. Want of air, and the boiling water 
upon the hive, had destroyed them. And to crown all, 



64 



and make his loss still more severe, he found it was his 
own bees that were engaged in plundering his stock, 
and his neighbor's bees had nothing to do with it. The 
vast number of bees slaughtered with the hot water, so 
reduced in numbers several of his stocks, that they never 
recovered, but fell prey to the moth miller that season. 
And that was the way he "fixed 'em." There are so many 
whims and false notions about bees, that great care 
should be exercised in adopting plans recommended by 
inexperienced bee keepers, or that class who claim to 
know everything about bees, yet by their practice show 
that they know very little. 

There is one other plan, aside from contracting the 
entrance, which will prove successful, but which is a 
little more trouble to apply. If you find a stock is being 
robbed, look them over, and be sure that they have a 
fertile, healthy queen. If the queen is found to be all 
right, but with few bees, take from this hive two comb 
frames filled with comb, with no eggs or brood, and go to 
a populous stock, and exchange these two combs for two 
others filled with brood. Select such as have most of 
the brood sealed over, as you want that which will hatch 
the quickest. Put these two combs in the hive that is 
being robbed, fasten up the stock by putting wire cloth 
over the entrances, giving them air yet preventing the 
passage of bees.* When you put in the two frames with 
brood, if you find but little honey in the hive — not -enough 
to last the bees a month or more— put in one frame con- 
taining honey. Put on the feeder and carry the hive to a 
dark and quiet room, and fill the feeder with pure, soft 



*It is well to confine the bees when a large number of robbers 
are inside— a larger number ii' possible than the swarm itself, for, 
being confined a few days, they will make that hive their home, 
and aid in defending its stores against other robbers with as 
much energy as the bees of the original swarm. 



ROBBING. 65 

water. Let the bees remain in this room four days; then 
about one hour before sunset, set them on the old stand, 
giving them their liberty, with the entrances to the hive 
contracted — the lower entrance closed entirely, and the 
upper one half closed. Intelligent bee keepers will 
readily understand why this plan should prove a suc- 
cess : — First, the bees that hatch from the brood comb 
given the weak stock, will be a great encouragement to 
the few bees in the hive; and in a very few days they will 
aid in defending the hive against the attacks of robbers. 
Again — removing the hive from the stand seems to dis- 
organize the robbers, for after they have visited the stand 
for several days, and find no plunder, they will give up 
the search in that direction. 

Before taking the trouble to remove a hive as here 
directed, care should be taken to be certain that the bees 
are being robbed. You can be sure whether it is your own 
bees or others that are robbing, by sprinkling them with 
flour as they come from the hive which you suspect is 
being robbed, and watching your other hives, to see if 
those you have marked enter them, being very careful 
that you are not deceived by the dust from some species 
of blossoms, which adheres to the body of the bee, and 
might be mistaken for the flour. 

Bees when plundering a stock will often keep at their 
work until dark, some of them being unable to find their 
hive by reason of the darkness. Honest workers are not 
found abroad at that time, and, by the way, this is a very 
good test of robbing. In concluding this chapter, I 
advise again : Know the condition of your stocks at all 
times. If any have too few bees, contract the entrances 
in accordance with that number of bees to pass. Preven- 
tative is much better than cure in this case. 



CHAPTER X. 

PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 

^WENTY-FIVE years ago, and even at the 
present time, by the ordinary methods of 
bee keeping, if a profit of five dollars from 
one hive of bees in one season was gained it was considered 
"good luck." You know there is no system in the ordi- 
nary methods of bee keeping. It is either "good luck" or 
"bad luck;" — all "luck" and "chance," anyway. 

In one year they get five dollars profit from a stock of 
bees; the next honey season they get nothing, and the 
bees all die in the wintei ; or perhaps they will survive 
that winter, and the next season swarm, and fly away to 
the woods; or perhaps refuse to swarm, and remain idly 
clustered on the front of the hive throughout the entire 
honey season, and die from want of food before the 
winter is half gone. 

Bee keeping by the ordinary methods is a very pre- 
carious and uncertain occupation. The profits are small 
at best, and losses large and frequent. 

With my Controllable Hive and common sense system 
of bee management (as described in this work,) founded 
on correct and scientific principles, bee keeping is reduced 
to a science. There is no "luck," no "guess-work," no 
"chance" about it. There can be no loss in bee keeping 
without a cause ; there can be no gain without a full and 
correct understanding of the natural habits and require- 



PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 67 

merits of bees. A correct knowledge of the subject insures 
success. 

I will now present a few statements, exhibiting the 
practical results which follow the use of my Controllable 
Hive and new system of bee management, and showing 
the great contrast in profits and general success in the 
care of bees. 

In the season of 1870, one of my hives of native bees 
yielded two hundred and fifty-three pounds of surplus 
honey, in glass boxes, from the 20th of May to the 1st of 
July. In 1875 one hive yielded three hundred arid eighty 
pounds of surplus honey in glass boxes during the season. 
This was the largest yield I ever had, and shows what is 
possible by liberal feeding with a thrifty stock of bees, 
giving them every facility, with a view of securing the 
largest possible amount of surplus box honey. In this 
case, I selected, in early spring, the very best stock I 
could find, and pushed it as hard as possible throughout 
the entire spring, summer and early fall. My suc- 
cess exceeded even my most sanguine expectations. 
As it may sevve to aid others in producing large yields 
of honey, I will describe minutely the method pursued to 
secure this large and extraordinary yield. 

Very early in the spring I selected the most populous 
stock in my "possession. It was ruled by a young 
and exceedingly prolific Hybrid queen, a mixture of 
Italian and Native blood. I commenced early in the 
spring- to feed this stock lightly but regularly, every day 
at evening. I fed about one-half pound of feed per day, 
until a few days before the flowers were in bloom pro- 
fusely! This was done to encourage bi'eeding. Very 
early in the spring they were fed com and rye meal, as 
directed in this work. 

For a few clays before the flowers were blooming pro- 
fusely, I fed liberally — in fact, gave them all I could 
possibly induce them to take up ; the object being to get 



68 PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 

the store comb in the body of the hive, not occupied with 
brood, completely filled with honey. The glass boxes, 
twenty-six in number (with the Feeder,) each holding 
about four and one-half pounds of honey, were arranged 
in connection with the hive (sides and top,) several weeks 
prior to ihe appearance of the flowers, that the bees 
might become accustomed to them, and the more readily 
enter them, and commence work. When I ceased feeding 
(which was on the appearance of the flowers yielding a 
good supply of honey,) the boxes were filled with bees, 
and comb-building had commenced. The hive was at 
this time filled to overflowing with bees, and the combs 
had brood in all stages of growth, from the egg to the 
perfect bee. I had taken the precaution to cut out nearly 
all the drone comb, and fit in its place worker comb, so 
I had but ve'.y few drones to consume the honey. I had 
also arranged so as to have no increase by swarming, 
but to have all the bees employed storing surplus honey 
in the boxes throughout the season. 

As fast as the boxes were filled, they were removed, 
and empty ones substituted in their place. I never saw 
bees work with such determined industry, early and la'e, 
and in all kinds of weather. When honey failed at the 
end of the season, there was a set of boxes on the 
hive partially filled. I immediately gave the bees feed 
until these too were finished. I found, on weighing the 
product of this hive in the fall, that they had given me a 
fraction over three hundred and eighty pounds of surplus 
honey in boxes. This honey I sold at thirty-five cents a 
pound, a little over one hundred and thirty-three dollars, 
for surplus honey sold from this one stock. Reader, go 
thou and do likewise. 

I had one stock of bees which occupied the same stand, 
winter and summer, for six years, and during that time 
they swarmed but once, and from it I sold every year 
over fifty dollars' worth of surplus honey in glass boxes. 



PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. b9 

A neighbor several times offered me fifty dollars for this 
stock, early in the spring before the bees commenced 
their labors. 

In 1874 I purchased a swarm of bees in an old box 
hive. They had not paid their owner a dollar in profit for 
years. Some seasons they would swarm and fly away to 
the woods ; in other seasons they would remain clustered 
on the front of the hive through the entire season, refus- 
ing to swarm, or enter the two small boxes covered with 
a cap on top of the hive. I transferred the bees from 
this hive to the Controllable Hive, and they gave ine a 
profit of over forty dollars the first year. 

I sold my honey in 1874 for from thirty-three to thirty- 
five dollars per hundred gross weight— that is, no tare 
deducted for weight of the box. The boxes weigh each 
about one pound, empty, and when well filled with honey 
about four and one-half pounds, gross. 

The present season (1880.) one stock in a Controllable 
Hive, in the month of June, without being fed or having 
extra care, yielded seventy-two pounds of surplus honey 
in glass boxes. Another, treated in the same manner, 
yielded over eighty pounds surplus, in the same time. 
Another new swarm, since the first week in June, filled 
the brood frames with honey, and produced thirty-eight 
pounds of surplus in glass boxes, (filling eight boxes as 
full as they could be crowded,) and gave me a large 
swarm the last week in June. 

Whrn box honey brings from thirty-three to thirty-five 
cents a pound, gross weight, my usual yearly average is 
a little over fifty dollars clean profit from the sale of 
box honey, from each stock of bees I keep. I intend to 
keep about twelve stocks each season. I sometimes 
have a much greater number; yet it is my purpose 
to keep only this number each season, for the 
production of surplus honey, swarms, etc. My average 
yield of surplus box honey is about two hundred pounds 



70 PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 

(perhaps a trifle less) from each hive of bees that I keep, 
during each season, when swarming is prevented and each 
stock liberally fed. 

I will here give the testimony of a few of the many, 
who have adopted the plan of bee management recom-' 
mended in this work. I should give the name and post- 
office address of each, were it not for the fact that they 
would receive so many letters of inquiry, as to make it 
very disagreeable to them. I have the original and com- 
plete letters in my possession, and such letters I am pre- 
pared to show at any time. My object in presenting this 
testimony here, is to show that the system of bee man- 
agement recommended herein is not only successful with 
me, but with all intelligent bee keepers, as well. 

A gentleman from Vermont writes me, under date of 
September 15, 1879. as follows: "I take this opportunity 
of informing you of the experience I have had with 
the bee hive received from you. About the 10th of May 
I transferred a swarm of bees from a box hive to the Con- 
trollable Hive. I transferred all the brood combs, and 
about eight or ten pounds of honey. I fed them until 
flowers were plenty, which encouraged them to build 
rapidly. About the 25th of May I put in surplus boxes 
on the sides, which they soon entered, and went to work. 
The middle of June I put boxes on top, as the bees showed 
symptoms of swarming. By the 10th of July the side 
boxes were nearly all filled, and the bees were at work in 
the top boxes. July 15th I took off sixteen of the twenty 
side boxes, well filled and capped, and placed empty 
ones in their places. August 5th, I took six of the ten 
boxes off the top, well filled. Then the dry weather set 
in, and the bees came to a stand-still (thinking the honey 
season over,) but the basswood revived it for a short 
time, enabling them to fill up the boxes pretty full. I 
obtained in all from this swarm twenty-eight boxes, 
weighing one hundred and ten pounds. I shall have ten 



PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 71 

hives made this winter for use the coming spring." 

A gentleman writes from New York, under < ate of 
April 2d, 1879: "I have received your hive, which meets 
my ideas of what a bee hive should be. It contains all 
that is required in a bee hive, or in other words it is just 
the thing I have been wanting. I have been using the 
Quinby hive, so called, but I am now goii g to keep bees 
in earnest on your plan. I have the fullest confidence of 
success with your hive and plan of management. Your 
plan for wintering is a good one, on scientific principles, 
and the arrangement for feeding, and surplus honey, 
can't be beat." 

A gentleman writes from New Hampshire, under date 
of April 26th, 1879: "I have tested your hive, and my 
bees have done first-rate. I believe the hive is just what 
it is represented. One strong reason why I think so much 
of your hive is, there were not a dozen bees died in the 
hive last winter, while three of my first swarms in other 
hives all died— some of them with fifty pounds of honey 
in the hive. I have lost some winters as many as fifteen 
or twenty swarms. I have now tested your hive to my 
satisfaction, and I do not believe bees will die in it, if 
your instructions for wintering are carried out. I think 
your hive is what every bee keeper should have to make 
a success of bee keeping." 

A gentleman writes from Missouri, under date of May 
1st, 1879: "Your bee hive I like very much. I put in 
the swarm last season. They'did much better than any 
swarm I had in the American hive. I took away more 
surplus honey than from any of the others. I can recom- 
mend the Controllable Hive to all bee keepers. This 
spring I have put up fourteen more Controllable Hives, 
and shall use no other hive in future." 

A lady bought a swarm of Italian bees of me in 1874, 
and from that one stock she increased to over twenty the 
third season, besides obtaining over one hundred pounds 



72 PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 

of nice surplus honey from the swarm I sent her in the 
first season. 

Here I desire to be clearly understood. I do not wish 
to hold out inducements which will never be realized, for 
the purpose of causing any one to commence bee keeping 
with unreasonable expectations of profit. There is labor 
and care required to bring success in any enterprise; and 
usually the greater the care and labor bestowed on any 
business, the greater the reward in profits. Bees give 
ample return for each little care and attention bestowed 
upon them ; and if neglected and permitted to go uncared 
for, there is corresponding loss. I believe that bee keep- 
ing on correct and scientific principles should be 
encouraged, until bees enough are kept to collect the 
honey now allowed to go to waste, and which, if collected, 
would add millions of dollars to the wealth of the 
country. 

The statements of large yields of honey here presented, 
show what it is possible to do; yet no reasonable person 
would commence bee keeping with the expectation of 
realizing, on each of a dozen or more stocks kept, the 
large yields abo> e specified. Some stocks will pay a 
much greater profit than others. And it is only under 
the most favorable circumstances, with our very best 
stocks, that we secure the results here named, such as 
three hundred and eighty pounds of box honey from one 
stock in a season This serves to illustrate what may be 
derived (but not what we may reasonably expect) from 
each stock, where a dozen or more stocks are kept. Two 
hundred pounds from each stock on the average is about 
right. And this last is only secured with good care and 
attention, perseverance and labor, judiciously applied to 
the work. 

The question is often asked : "How many stocks of bees 
can be kept in one place on your plan?" This depends 
on the number of honey-yielding plants and flowers. 



PROFITS OF BEE KEEPING. 



73 



Some localities furnish a much greater number than others. 
In some localities, fifty stocks would do well, and pay 
yearly a handsome profit; in others, it would not be 
profitable to keep half as many. I am in a place said 
to be very unfavorable to bee keeping. I find twelve 
stocks about the right number for me to maintain. Bees 
will go seven miles or more to collect honey, but the 
shorter the distance, the more honey will be collected, in 
a season ; consequently the greater profit will follow. 

It can only be learned by practical test how many 
stocks of bees may be profitably kept in any locality. 
Commence with a few, and increase the number moder- 
ately, until you find you have as many as you wish to 
keep, or as many as the locality will support, with good 
profit, when managed judiciously. 




CHAPTER XL 

CHANGING OLD QUEENS FOR YOUNG ONES. 



J 7- .'■ li;l)N my plan of bee management, if a 
^a^ stock does not change its queen for three 
~^j/p years in succession, the fourth season the 
old queen should be taken away, if she shows the least 
sign of failing, and a young, laying queen substituted in 
her place It often happens, if the queen in a stock dies 
or becomes seriously injured, that the bees will, of their 
own accord, rear another to take her place. But if her 
failure has been gradual, the bees may not have the means 
to do so, when she at last fails entirely, for the reason 
that she may cease laying, for several days or weeks pre- 
vious to her death, in which case it would be impossible 
for the bees, without assistance, to rear another queen to 
take her place. They must have an egg not over 
five days old, from which to rear a queen. The great 
necessity of close observation, in order to keep each stock 
always supplied with a healthy, prolific queen, cannot be 
impressed too strongly on the mind of every bee keeper. 
Be sure not to neglect this very important point in suc- 
cessful and profitable bee keeping. 

But very few seem to know the average duration of 
life of the honey bee. The average term of life of the 
woi'ker is only a few months — not more than from two 
to four — a great many do not live out half that time. So 



CHANGING OLD QUEENS FOR YOUNG ON T ES. 75 

It will be seen that it is only by keeping healthy and pro- 
lific queens in each stock, that we can have populous 
stocks, such as will pay a good profit. 

In my experiments I haye in several instances taken 
from a vigorous and veiw populous stock their queen, 
and at the same time deprived them of the means of 
rearing another. This was done in the hone}' season. 
In such cases the bees kept on with their labor, though 
with visible reluctance and an appearance of discourage- 
ment, the number of bees decreasing very rapidly, and in 
from two to three months nearly all had disappeared, not 
more than two or three hundred remaining, where there 
had been from thirty thousand to fifty thousand all in a 
prosperous condition. 

Other instances have come under my observation, clear- 
ly showing that the life of the worker honey bee is only 
of few months duration. One case in fact will show : I 
removed the native queen from a very strong sto.ck of 
native or black bees, in the honey season, and introduced 
an Italian queen, in order to change the stock from native 
to Italian. The reader will readily understand that every 
egg deposited by the Italian queen, after her introduction, 
will produce the Italian variety, the workers of which 
are entirely distinct in color from the natives. In a few 
days after the introduction of the Italian queen I found 
the natives were disappearing, and soon after the Italians 
began to appear. The change was very rapid. In about 
two months not a native or black bee could be found 
about the hive — all were Italians. The natives had grad- 
ually decreased, until all had disappeared, showing con- 
clusively that they had died in the same ratio that they 
would have passed away from a stock naturally. During 
the winter season, as the bee is in a dormant state for the 
greater part of the time, they are given a longer lease of 
life. 

When it is discovered that a stock has a barren queen 



76 CHANGING OLD QUEENS FOR YOUNG ONES. 

or has lost its queen, or from any cause she has ceased 
to be prolific (and in consequence the bees are dwindling 
away,) take means immediately to substitute a prolific 
and healthy queen in her place, and at the same time 
re-enforce the stock, by taking one or more frames filled 
with hatching brood from a populous stock, and exchang- 
ing for those destitute of brood. In this manner the bees 
will be increased so as to insure safety for a few days, 
after which the stock, having been furnished with a pro- 
lific, healthy queen, will regain their former^prosperity and 
vigor. 

The queen being the mother of the entire swarm, and 
consequently all increase being dependent on her, every 
intelligent bee keeper will readily understand that in 
order to succeed, he must be sure that each stock has a 
prolific queen. 




CHAPTER XII. 

REARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 



i 



IN commencing to rear queens, you will first 
*Z (^^ want some small rearing boxes, or miniature 
-**?£* hives, about four and one-half inches wide, by 
ei^ht inches long, and five inches deep, inside measure- 
ment. Use inch board for the hives. Make for each hive 
three movable comb frames,* suspended the same as in 
the brood section of the Controllable Hive. Make the 
under side of the top bar, flat, instead of triangular, as in 
the large comb frames. Take a piece of old comb, and 
cut to fill each one of these small frames. Take from a 
pint to a quart of bees from a populous stock (in the 
height of the breeding season this will do no harm) with- 
out the queen-. Confine these bees in a light box, in the 
top of which there is an inch hole, closed, to confine 
them to the box, for if not confined they would return to 
the old stock, as the queen is not with them. Having 
secured your bees in the box, go to a stock, and lift out a 
comb containing eggs, just deposited. They may be 
known by their appearance. Tfcey are but a tiny speck at 
the bottom of the cell, about one-sixteenth of an inch in 
length, slightly curved, and perfectly white in color. 



*This frame is shown in the engraving representing the different 
kinds of cells, in Chapter I. 



78 ^EARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 

They remain in this form from two to three days, at the 
end of which time they change to the form of a grub or 
maggot. After this change it is a risk to depend on them 
for queen raising, so be sure to secure for your purpose 
eggs. Cut from the brood comb a piece about two inches 
long and one-half inch wide, using a very sharp, thin 
knife, so not to mutilate the comb. Cut out a piece from 
the center comb of the miniature hive, and fit in its place 
the piece containing the eggs. The middle of a warm 
day is the best time to do this work. It is best to have 
one of the comb frames of the miniature hive filled with 
honey, to furnish food for the bees for a few days. 

As soon as you have fitted the piece containing the 
eggs in its place in the miniature hive, put on a close- 
fitting cover. Do not nail it, as you will want to look 
at it every few days. Close the entrances to the miniature 
hive, so no bees can escape. Now open the hole in the 
top of the box in wnich the bees are confined, and set the 
miniature hive containing the eggs over it quickly, allow- 
ing no bees to escape. The bees will then pass from the 
box up into the miniature hive, cluster on the comb con- 
taining the eggs, and immediately commence the rearing 
of queens from the eggs thus furnished them. Keep the 
bees confined to the miniature hive for about thirty-six 
hours. Give them their liberty at first about one hour 
before sunset. If you do not confine them for the time 
stated, they will return to the hive from which you took 
them, but if so confined, they will forget their old home, 
and adhere to the miniature hive, the same as an ordinary 
swarm hived in the usual waj T . They will rear queens 
from the eggs given them by constructing queen cells, so 
arranged as to take in one of the eggs in the piece of 
comb furnished them, often constructing three or more 
cells. In about six days, open the miniature hive, and 
you will find these cells nearly or quite finished. 
Occasionally a case occurs where they do not rear queens 



REARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 79 

when thus furnished with the means, hut such cases are 
rare. If you find each one made separate, you can, if 
you choose, with a sharp, thin knife cut out all the cells 
but one, and give them to other rearing boxes not supplied 
with eggs, or which have failed to rear queens from the 
eggs furnished them. If you leave all the cells in the 
miniature hive as constructed, the first queen that hatches 
will destroy all the others. She will visit each cell, gnaw 
an opening in the side, curve her abdomen and insert 
her sting into the opening, and sting the rival queen to 
death while yet in her cradle. The worker bees will then 
enlarge the opening, and drag out the lifeless body. The 
victorious queen now reigns over the little colony, the same 
as in a large and natural swarm. 

In from three to five days after hatching, if the 
we.itlier is fine, the young queen will leave the miniature 
hive, and take a flight in the open air, to meet the drone 
for the purpose of fecundation. If successful, she will 
commence to lay in about two days. She may then be 
introduced to a full stock at any time desired. Recollect, 
it will be useless to rear queens where there are no drones. 

When stocks are liberally fed early in the season, drones 
will appear correspondingly early. And if from a stock 
well supplied" with drones, you remove the queen, the 
workers will not destroy the drones in that hive until 
thny have obtained another fertile laying queen. With 
this idea in view, viz: — early and liberal feeding to pro- 
duce drones early, and depri< ing a populous stock (well 
supplied with drones) of its queen the last of the season, 
we can have drones sufficient for our purpose from early 
• spring until late in the fall. 

I have in several instances, for the purpose of securing 
drones very early in the spring, depdved a populous 
stock, containing a large number of drones, of its queen, 
very late in the fall, and wintered them queenless. In 
this manner the drones were permitted by the bees to 



80 REARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 

remain and winter with the swarm. Early in the spring 
they were re-enforced with hatching brood from populous 
stocks, but were permitted to rear no queens, in order that 
the drones might be preserved. As soon as drones appear- 
ed in the other stocks, this stock was furnished with a 
laying queen, and it was as prosperous as the best. 

By this plan drones may be kept through the winter, 
if their services are required very early in the spring, 
before we can raise them from the best stocks by judicious 
feeding, which very rarely can be done. 

The bees for rearing queens arc usually obtained from 
populous hives, such as will hardly miss a pint or a 
quart from their numbers, great care being exercised not 
to remove the queen. The best time to get the bees is 
in the middle of the day. Go to a stock and first find 
the queen. Set the comb she is on, to one side. Put your 
light box (prepared as before described with a hole in the 
top) on a sheet near by, with one edge raised an inch. 
Take one or more combs from the hive (being careful 
not to get the one with the queen,) and shake the bees 
from them, down beside the box, which they will readily 
enter. When you have bees enough in the box, close it 
so none can escape. You now have the bees ready to put 
in the miniature hive, as before directed. 

I think I have given such instruction as will enable 
any one, after a little practice, to rear queens successfully. 5 " 
I will follow it with such information as will insure 
success in introducing queens into'full stocks of bees. 



*By taking brood for rearing queens only from such stocks as 
exhibit the greatest industry, mildness of disposition, vigor in 
•withstanding the cold, etc., I find lam able to greatly improve 
the desirable qualities of my bees from year to year. This system- 
atic course of treatment has produced swarms possessing very 
valuable characteristics. It is surprising to note the difference in 
profits and ease of management, between bees that have always 
been left to take their own course, and such as have had their most 



HEARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 81 

Here let rue caution bee keepers never to attempt to 
introduce a queen into a full stock of bees, until she has 
begun to lay. A young queen, not fecundated, will be 
destroyed in nine cases out of ten, in spite of every pre- 
caution. Before introducing a queen, the old queen in 
the stock, if any exists, must be taken away. Make 
your search for her in the middle of the day, as at that 
time most of the workers are away. Use but very little 
smoke, and that only at the entrance, as the bees should 
remain spread over the combs as evenly as possible. If 
you use much smoke they will rush to the bottom and 
the corners of the hive, and it is very likely the queen 
might seek a hiding-place with the others, where you 
could not find her. If not disturbed, the queen will be 
found in the comb among the bees. When ready to pro- 
ceed, having smoked them lightly at the entrances (a 
puff at each entrance is sufficient,) lift out the comb care- 
fully, avoiding any jar, and look them over for the queen. 
It is said the Italian queens are more readily found than 
the natives, but I could never see any difference. Hold 
the frame up in front of your face, so as to have a good 
view, and look each comb over carefully till you find the 
queen. When found, remove her. Always return the 
combs so they will occupy the same position as before. 

As soon as the queen is removed, and the bees are 
aware of their loss, they will usually commence to rear 
another queen from the worker eggs to take her place. 
To make a sure thing of it, they often start to produce a 
half-dozen or more. 

In six days after removing the queen, smoke the bees 
well, to get the combs as clear of them as possible. Do 



desirable traits cultivated and improved to the greatest possible 
extent for a term of years. The difference is almost as marked aa 
between the savage in his native wilds, and the most intelligent 
and highly educated member of society. 



82 HEARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 

this in the middle of the day. When you have driven 
the most of the bees from the comb to the bottom and 
into the corners of the hives, lift out the combs, and look 
sharply for queen cells, (success depends on thorough 
work here.) With a sharp knife cut out and destroy every 
such cell that is finished or commenced. Don't leave any 
part of a queen cell in the hive, for the bees will not 
accept a strange queen if they have the means of raising 
one of their own. Having destroyed every queen cell, 
finished or unfinished, return the combs to the hive; but 
before putting the honey board over the brood section, 
cut a hole in it a little smaller than the top of a tumbler. 
Cover this hole with a light piece of board, simply laid 
on, (not nailed, for you will need to remove it without 
jar.) Then put the honey board in its place over the brood 
section. 

Let the hive remain until near sunset, for the bees to 
get quiet, and to learn that they are without a queen and 
without the means of rearing another. Just before sun- 
set, take the queen you propose to introduce, and with 
her a score or more of workers, and put them in a tumbler 
with a piece of wire cloth over the top to keep them in. 
(To get her from the miniature hive, where she was reared, 
to the tumbler, take it to a close room, before a window, 
so if she takes wing she may alight there.) Go to the 
hive into which she is to be introduced, and remove the 
cap, avoiding any jar that may irritate the bees. Take 
off the board over the hole in the honey board, and turn 
the tumbler containing the queen bottom up over it, keep- 
ing the wire cloth between the queen in the tumbler and 
the bees in the hive. Replace the cap to the hive, and let 
the queen and her attendant bees remain in the tumbler, 
in communication with the bees in the hive through the 
wire cloth, until the next day, near sunset. Then take a tea- 
spoonful of honey, go to the hive, and remove the cap, 
this time with the greatest possible care, as the slightest 



REARING AND INTRODUCING QUEENS. 83 

jar will endanger success. Raise the tumbler carefully 
from off the queen, and with the honey smear her 
completely over, then turn the wire cloth over carefully, 
and let the queen and her attendant bees down through 
the hole in the honey board, among the bees of the hive. 
Replace the cap its quietly as possible, and the work is 
done. In about one week examine the combs of this 
hive for eggs, and if they are found, you can consider 
your work crowned with success. If no eggs are dis- 
covered, you must go over the ground again. But be 
sure there are no eggs in the combs before you repeat the 
work. 

This plan of introducing queens is the most successful 
of any I have ever tested. It rarely fails. When a lay- 
ing queen is removed from one of the miniature hives, 
the bees will usually rear queens from the eggs left when 
the queen is removed. 




CHAPTER XIII. 

SOURCES OF HONEY. 

f HE sources from which bees collect honey 
are various and almost innumerable. 
Almost every flower, tree, plant, shrub and 
vine, iu field, forest, pasture and garden yield honey to 
some extent. White clover, is, perhaps, the greatest 
source of honey in the New England and Middle States, 
it being found to a greater or less extent in almost every 
field and pasture. South and west there is, in n.any locali- 
ties, a profusion of wild flowers, producing considerable 
quantities of honey. In some sections buckwheat affords 
a rich harvest. Basswood yields a very nice quality of 
honey, and in sections where it abounds, great quantities 
are collected from it. Fruit blossoms — apple, pear, 
peach, and all the different varieties of plums, cherries, 
etc., are very important sources of honey. 

Pollen is the first material gathered by the bees in early 
spring. Several varieties of alder, willow, red maple, 
etc., produce pollen in great abundance. Raspberry, 
blackberry, catnip, dandelion, etc., all contribute largely 
of honey in their season. Corn, and most kinds of grain, 
furnish pollen in abundance late in the season. Mustard 
and sweet clover are great favorites with the busy bee, 
yielding the most beautiful honey, clear as crystal and 
white as snow. The sugar maple produces honey of 
excellent quality, and where forests of this tree abound, 



SOURCES OF HONEY. 

large quantities of honey are stored, 
blossom in early spring.* Locust, whitewood, mignon- 
ette, golden rod, sumach, etc., all produce honey. 
When we take into consideration the fact that the bee 
will go seven miles or more to collect his sweets, it is 
easy to understand that a certain number of swarms will 
succeed in almost any locality, even without feeding. 
To make this still more clear, we have only to take into 
account the vast number of honey yielding flowers, trees, 
plants, shrubs, etc., within a ciicle of fourteen miles in 
diameter, the hive3 occupying the center, and the bees 
flying to collect honey seven miles in every direction from 
the hive. Those who have not tested the matter, will be 
likely to dispute the statement, that a bee will go seven 
miles to gather honey. But on this point I am able to 
offer ample proof, to establish, beyond a reasonable doubt, 
the fact that the Italian bee will go that distance. The 
proof I offer is this : The first Italian bees brought into 
the New England States, I had the honor of receiving. 
The Italian bees being entirely distinct from the native 
or black bees in color and size, I determined to avail my- 
self of the opportunity offered to satisfy myself on the 
long-disputed question — "How far a bee will go to collect 
honey." I therefore made close and repeated examina- 
tions, at different times during the honey season, and it 
was no uncommon occurrence, to find the Italian work- 
ers seven miles from their hives. As there were no 
Italian bees except mine within hundreds of miles, I csn- 



*CKmate and soil are so variable, it is impossible to give tbe 
sources of honey so as to apply minutely to every locality. I shall 
strive to designate the principal sources. The bee keeper will very 
soon learn from experience and observation, what are the prin- 
cipal sources of honey in that particular locality. Many different 
flowers, trees and shrubs are found in one section yielding honey 
profusely which do not exist in another. 



SOURCES OF HONEY. 

positive proof that that variety will travel 
seven miles from its hive in its search for honey-producing 
flowers. As the native or black bee is, to some extent, 
found in all parts of the country, it is impossible to 
prove conclusively the distance they will go from the 
hive; yet my observations give very strong evidence that 
they journey five miles or more after honey. 

When the distance a bee will go for honey is so well 
established, and having found from repeated tests that 
the flowers, when yielding honey, may be visited many 
times each day by the bee, and yield at each visi* a bounti- 
ful supply, we can form some idea of the vast amount of 
honey now permitted to go to waste, which might be col- 
lected by bees and stored in nice boxes, and thus add wealth 
and enjoyment to the human family. 

The bee keeper sometimes finds his bees idle, when 
the flowers are in bloom in profusion, the sun shining 
brightly, and, to the superficial observer, everything in- 
dicating honey in abundance. And yet the bees are dor- 
mant, and scarcely a one flying about the hives, notwith- 
standing the hives and boxes are full of them. The truth 
of the matter is, there is no honey in the flowers, although 
they are in full bloom. The air is dry and clear. Sud- 
denly there is a change, the atmosphere becomes moist 
and charged with electricity, with occasionally light 
showers. Immediately all is activity about the hives. 
The greatest show of industry is manifested ; scores of 
workers, and in some cases a hundred, coming into each 
hive every minute, loaded with honey, many of them so 
heavily weighted that they fall to the ground before they 
reach the hive, where they rest a moment, and then try 
again, usually succeeding in entering with their load. 
I have seen a change, as here described, biought about 
in a half-hour's time in the middle of the day, viz: The 
bees pass from an idle, almost entirely dormant state, to 
the greatest activity and industry. And all because a 



SOURCES OF HONEY. 87 

change in the atmosphere had caused the flowers to secrete 
honey. The question arises. How did the hees know at 
that particular hour there was a change, and that the 
flowers, which a few minutes before were destitute of 
honey, were now bountifully supplied? I answer, the 
bee was aware of the change almost the moment it took 
place. The bee is very sensitive to all atmospheric 
changes. A case in point will show this: The bees are 
collecting honey abroad in the fields. The day is warm 
and balmy. Suddenly there is the appearance of a shower, 
and distant thunder is heard. Immediately the bees 
came rushing in from the fields, in clouds. They cover 
the entire front of their hives, in their eagerness to gain 
a shelter from the approaching rain. Again, if the 
morning is cloudy and dark, with every appearance of 
rain, and you find the bees leaving their hives for the 
fields, you may be quite certain that rain is not near, and 
may expect soon to see the sun break forth and the 
clouds disperse. If, on the other hand there is an appear- 
ance of rain, and the bees are quiet in their hives, it is 
quite sure to rain in a very short time. How wonderful 
are the workings of nature. How great the sagacity of 
the little, busy bee. Who dares say that this wonderful 
little insect does not possess the power of reasons?" But 
I am digressing from the subject. 

Bees, in their journeys to collect honey, seldom visit 
more than one species of flower, plant or shrub, at one 
excursion ; and this is a wise provision of nature, for 
were it otherwise, and any and all species visited pro- 
miscuously, the vegetable world would be thi-own into 
chaos, by the fertilizing dust of one species being im- 
parted to another, through the medium of the bee. 

Pollen as fast as collected is deposited in little basket- 
like cavities on the inside of the bee's posterior legs. It 
is packed in little pellets, varying in size from that of a 
pin's head to a small pea. In color it is usually yellow, 



88 SOURCES OF HONEY. 

but sometimes green or red. Hundreds of bees may be 
seen entering the hives with pollen at almost any time in 
the honey season, particularly in the morning before the 
dew is off the grass. It is easier for the bees to collect 
it at this time, as the moisture causes it the more readily 
to adhere to the cavities of the legs. Honey when col- 
lected is deposited in the stomach of the bee, in which 
it is borne to the hive, and there deposited in cells in the 
comb. The bee has the power of raising this honey from 
its stomach, in the same manner that all ruminating ani- 
mals raise the cud. 

Some have contended that bees cause an injury to all 
kinds of fruit, such as apples, peaches, plums, etc., by 
taking away the substance and sweetness, in the form of 
honey, which otherwise would be absorbed, and eaten 
with the fruit. This is a great mistake. The provisions 
of nature are wise in this respect as in all others. There 
is the strongest evidence to prove that honey, once secreted 
in the cups of the tiny blossoms, never returns to the 
flower or fruit, but evaporates and passes into the air. 
Who, in passing an apple or peach orchard in full bloom, 
has not noticed the delicious fragrance ; which is undoubt- 
edly honey which has evaporated from the myriads of 
blossoms. It is very plain to the close observer that 
nature lias placed in the cups of flowers this honey, ex- 
pressly as food for the honey bee, and that it is in harmony 
with all her great and wonderful works. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

LOCATION OF HIVES. 

[TiST locating j r our hives, place them on the south 
side of buildings, or a close board fence facing 
south, south-east or south-west. If possible, 
-^yf* locate in the shade of some trees, where they 
Will be shaded from the sun from nine o'clock in the 
forenoon until one in the afternoon, or a little later. If 
no trees afford shade, arrange a roof over each hive, which 
shall shade the entire hive, and especially the front, in the 
summer season. But in spring and fall it is better to let 
the bees have the full benefit of the sun's rays, shining 
directly upon the hive. Construct a separate stand for 
each hive, as follows : Cut boards about three feet long, 
and joists three by six inches square (two pieces of the 
latter two feet long;) nail the ends of the boards to these 
pieces, so as to form a stand, when placed on the ground, 
three feet long, two feet wide and six inches high. This 
gives a free circulation of air beneath the stand. Set your 
hive on this stand, the rear of the hive even with the rear 
of the stand, which leaves the stand projecting a foot or 
more in front, making an admirable place for the bees to 
alight before entering the hive. Set your stands three 
feet apart, and make them perfectly level before placing 
your hive upon them. 

Place an alighting board in front of each hive. Get a 
board about eighteen inches wide and two feet long. 



90 LOCATION OF HIVES. 

Nail on some cleats at each end, to prevent warping. 
Rest one edge of this board on the ground, the other edge 
on the end of the platform in front of the hive. By this 
arrangement many bees will be saved in early spring 
which would otherwise be lost. By the old plan of set- 
ting the hives two or three feet high, with no alighting 
board, and a free draught cf wind beneath, the loss of bees 
was very great, especially in the early spring months, on 
chilly afternoons following a very warm forenoon. The 
bees, returning loaded with pollen, are unable to reach 
a hive placed so high, and are blown to the earth by the 
hundreds, and becoming chilled, die. The death of a few 
bees is a great loss in early spring, for they are required 
in keeping up the animal heat in the hive to forward 
breeding. 

The location of bees as here recommended will be 
found greatly superior to any other, for other reasons than 
those mentioned, and which are too numerous to herein 
specify. 

Every one who commences bee kneping should ever 
remember, that bees always mark the location of their 
hives. The young bee !he first time it leaves the hive 
invariably does this. The same is true with all swarms, 
in the first flight in early spring, after being dormant in 
the hive through the winter months. 

In marking the location, the bee comes from the hive, 
and at the entrance rises on the wing. Turning its head 
toward the hive, it recedes in circles, backward, at first 
describing a circle so small as to be scarcely perceptible, 
but enlarging as the distance from the hive is increased. 
They thus take into view all objects surrounding the hive, 
so that they are able to return to their own hives without 
difficulty. After one or two excursions begun in this 
manner, the bee leaves the hive in a direct line for the 
fields, without taking any further precaution whatever, 
and returns by its knowledge of the objects in the vicinity 



LOCATION" OF HIVES. 91 

of the hives, without difficulty. 

Notwithstanding there might be a hundred hives stand- 
ing in a line, with only :i few inches space between each, 
and all of the same color and appearance, if left to itself 
no bee would enter the hive of its neighbor, although 
there might be hundreds of thousands of the busy work- 
ers, from all the hives, dying promiscuously about in the 
air. Each bee knows its own hive perfectly, and if from 
any accident it enters its neighbor's house, immediate 
death is usually the result; or possibly it may escape, 
after being roughly handled, and made to understand that 
it is trespassing on forbidden ground. 

Some bee keepers, with little knowledge of their occu- 
pation, often remove a hive of bees several rods, in the 
working season. The result is, all the bees that had 
marked the location (and all the old bees had done this) 
are lost. They would continue to leave the hive in a 
direct line, after its removal, not taking the precaution to 
mark the location, as they were unaware of the change, 
and when they were ready to return, they would return 
to the former place. 

Bees may be safely moved a dozen miles or more, at 
any time, as this takes them beyond their knowledge of 
country ; but- in such cases set the hives six feet apart at 
least. If this precaution is not taken and the hives are 
set close together, the bees will rush from the hives on 
being let out, not knowing the location lias been changed, 
and when they return, many will enter the wrong hive, 
and be slaughtered without mercy. 

Therefore, let stocks be placed, early in the spring, 
before they have marked the situation of the stands they 
are to occupy for the summer, and not change them after 
the bees have commenced their labors — at least change 
them no less distance than twelve miles. 



CHAPTER XV. 

WINTERING BEES. 

^HE subject of wintering bees is of the great- 
est importance, and one which is generally 
\ery imperfectly understood, if we may 
judge from the large number of swarms lost every winter 
and spring. There are many methods recommended as 
"the best" for wintering bees. One will tell you to keep 
them cold; another to keep them warm. One will say, 
put them in the cellar ; another, bury them in the ground ; 
another put them in the attic. Is it any wonder that the 
beginner becomes confused and disgusted at so much con- 
flicting advice ? That bees have been wintered safely by 
any and all of these old plans I shall not dispute. But I 
am certain that neither plan will, alone, prove successful 
in the majority of cases. 

By all the methods heretofore recommended, a large 
number of bees die from each stock, during the winter; 
so reducing them in numbers that it takes nearly the 
entire summer for them to regain in numbers what they 
have lost; while a veiy large number of stocks are lost 
entirely. 

It will be readily understood that the greater the num- 
ber of bees in a hive in early spring, the more warmth 
will be generated ; consequently the more rapidly will the 
brood mature and the bees increase in numbers. It is of 



■WINTERING BEES. 93 

the greatest importance to have strong stocks in early 
spring This is one of the strong points of the new 
system of management, taught in this book. 

In nearly all the hives now in use, there is no proper 
ventilation, consequently the honey in such hives becomes 
sour, the comb mouldy, and the bees diseased. It is 
impossible, in our variable climate, to winter bees suc- 
cessfully, for any number of years, with any degree of 
certainty, in the great majority of the ordinary hives. 

Some, who have met with he.ivy losses in winter, have 
taken the ground that the loss was caused by a poor 
quality of honey, stored by the bees in a wet season, or a 
large yield late in the fall. But this is a great mistake. 
Bees will not collect and store honey not suited to their 
use as food ; they make no mistakes on this point. 

I might discuss in detail all the different methods of 
wintering bees, and show the great losses attending each, 
with causes, etc., but by so doing I should consume more 
space than I can give in this work. I shall therefore 
confine my remarks to ordinary conditions of bees in 
winter, and the requisites to insure uniform success in 
wintering. 

In the winter bees cluster as closely together as cir> 
cumstances admit, and the severity of the cold demands. 
The more severe the cold, the closer they cluster together, 
in order the better to keep up the animal heat necessary 
to maintain life. 

By all the old methods, the cluster of bees is divided by 
the sheets of comb, which is a great hindrance to suc- 
cessful wintering. In such cases the bees cannot cluster 
compactly together, but are spread out between the dif- 
ferent sheets of comb. In the Controllable Hive, and on 
the plan of wintering here recommended, the bees in very 
cold weather cluster in the space between the wire cloth 
of the ventilator and the top of the frames of the brood 
seetior. They are here able to keep up the required 



94 WINTERING BEES. 

amount of animal heat, as they can cluster compactly, 
without anything to separate them. 

By the ordinary plan, in sudden turns of very cold 
weather, the bees between the outer combs are often frozen 
to death. "Oh!" says some one, "that's all humbug; 
you can't freeze a bee." Certainly you can. To satisfy 
yourself of this, after a very cold turn of weather, look 
under your box hives, if you have them, or any patent 
hive having a loose bottom board to admit of an exami- 
nation, and see if you do not find hundreds of bees which 
have fallen dead from the outside combs. I have ex- 
amined hundreds of stocks, and found them as here 
described. If you don't believe a bee will freeze, take out 
a dozen from a hive, in a severely cold spell of weather 
in mid-winter, confine them in a box, and set them out 
doors, letting them remain only one night. See if they 
are not dead beyond resuscitation, the next morning. 
This notion that bees will not freeze is a great mistake, 
and has led to some very foolish experiments in wintering 
them. 

A swarm of bees of average size, put in proper con- 
dition for winter, will not freeze; but from this it does 
not follow that a bee is proof against the greatest possible 
degree of cold. When bees are prepared for winter, as 
herein directed, they will, as before stated, cluster com- 
pactly together. And as the cold increases the cluster 
will contract, in accordance with the increasing of the 
cold, and consequently no loss of bees occur. 

Another great cause of loss in winter is in. proper ventil- 
ation, or no ventilation at all. Every swarm of bees 
throw r s off a considerable amount of moisture from their 
bodies. In very cold weather, if the hive is not properly 
ventilated, this moisture collects on the combs at the 
sides and top of the hives, in the form of frost and ice. 
In moderate weather this frost and ice melts, and runs 
down into the hive, completing saturating the bees, and 



"WINTERING BEES. 95 

llioi, if a sudden change to extremely cold weather takes 
place, all are destroyed by freezing; or if they chance to 
survive the winter, the moisture causes the combs to 
mould, the honey becomes sour, and thin like water, 
rendering it unsuitable food for the bee, and bringing on 
diseases— dysentery, bee cholera, foul brood, etc., and 
in a short time the bees are all destroyed. Thousands of 
good swarms are lost every winter by improper manage- 
ment, and from being kept in hives not suitable for winter- 
ing. I give directions for wintering on my plan, in Con- 
trollable Hives, and I feel confident, if directions are 
carefully followed, that many stocks will be saved 
annually, which otherwise would have perished. 

How to Winter Bees in Controllable Hives. 

Bees are wintered in Controllable Hives on their summer 
stands, by my plan, without loss, by maintaining an 
even temperature in the brood section, and disposing of 
all moisture or perspiration thrown off by the bees in 
cold weather. I have never lost a swarm of bees in 
Controllable Hives in the winter. I attempt to winter 
none, except strong, healthy stocks. I have no mouldy 
combs, no sour honey. The combs are kept perfectly dry, 
and the hives in a healthy condition. I do not lose a tea- 
cupful of bees, on the average, from each of my hives 
during the winter. 

To winter in Controllable Hives, prepare as follows : 
At the commencement of steady cold weather, which, in 
the New England States, is usually near the close of 
November, put the bees in condition to winter by entirely 
closing the upper entrance to the hive, and the lower one 
shut up about one-half.* Take out the box frames at the 

*To secure a slight upward draught of air, to carry off the moist- 
ure arising from the bees, make a hole a half-inch in diameter in 
front and rear of the cap, in the center, close to the top or roof 



96 WINTERING BEES. 

sides of the brood section, and put the movable partitions* 
in place. Remove the boxes and feeder, or honey board* 
(whichever is in place) from over the brood section. 
Place the ventilator (described elsewhere) over the brood 
section, so the lower edge of the ventilator, at the sides, 
will rest on the upper edges of the movable partitions, on 
each side of the brood section. Pack the sides of the 
hive (that part occupied by the side boxes in summer,) 
closely with very line hay or straw. Pack the cap as 
full of the same matter as it can be crowded. Then put 
the thickness of one or two inches over the ventilator, 
filling up evenly, so when the cap is placed ever the upper 
part, the cap and sides will be compactly filled. There 
must be no spaces left unfilled, the object being to 
secure an even temperature in the brood section, and 
absorb all moisture thrown off by the bees; and to do this 
successfully, the cap and sides must be closely packed 
throughout. When you have the cap and sides well 
packed, replace the cap, and the work is done. Shade the 
front of the hives during the winter months. No matter 
if the snow drifts over the hive so as to completely bury 
it from sight, let it remain ; — your bees are safe. 

A neighbor of mine had fifteen stocks in Controllable 
Hives completely buried in snow over six feet deep, and 
the crust formed over them so it would bear a horse. 
They remained under the snow from January until April, 
when they thawed out, and every stock was found to be in 
first-class order. 

When there is only a small quantity of snow about the 
hive, say only enough to cover the lower entrance, and 



boards. (And here let me say, the roof boards, or boards covering 
the cap, should project about an inch, as they can be more firmly 
nailed, and make better joints ; for driving rains must not be allowed 
to penetrate to the inside of the hive.) The inside of each hole 
should be covered with wire cloth, to keep out insects, etc. 



WINTERING BEES. 97 

there should come a very warm spell of weather, which 
would bring the bees out, be sure to clear away the snow 
so they need not be kept back by it. But it will take an 
exceedingly warm day in winter to rouse the bees from 
their dormant state in the Controllable Hive, and bring 
them out for a turn in the open air. If the air is warm 
enough to induce them to come out, it is always warm 
enough for them to fly briskly. In this respect there is a 
great contrast between my hive and others. With other 
hives, an hour's warm sun will bring out the bees in 
winter, when the air is cold, and the consequence is, they 
fall into the snow and perish by hundreds. In this way 
stocks are often reduced in numbers until all are lost. 
The dysentery generally attacks such stocks (brought on 
by the sudden changes in temperature in the hive.) and 
hastens their destruction, by causing them to leave the 
hive, when they would not do so if in a healthy condition. 
Bees, when wintered in Controllable Hives as directed, 
will come out in the spring, strong in numbers, and in a 
healthy condition — in great contrast to the weak and dis- 
eased stocks which have been wintered in the ordinary 
manner. I have perfect confidence in the method of 
wintering here recommended, for I have had it in practical 
use for many years, and have never lost a stock, notwith- 
standing some winters have been very destructive to bees 
in this section, some, who practice the old methods, losing 
their entire stocks. I learn from my correspondents in 
all parts of the United States that there is great loss of 
bees in winter; so great in fact as to discourage many 
from attempting to engage in apiculture. 

My plan of wintering is very simple, and commends 
itself to every intelligent person. In a few words it may 
be expressed thus : The brood section is secured against 
the effects of sudden changes in the weather, (this keeps 
the bees dormant throughout the winter season, which is 
as nature designed,) and provides for the absorption of all 



98 WINTERING BEES. 

moisture and perspiration arising from the bees, white 
in a dormant slate. These two points are the foundation 
of successful wintering. 




CHAPTER XVI. 

TRANSFERRING BEES. 

S some of my readers may have bees in ordi- 
nary hives, which they would like to transfer 
L .;rj|^^ to the Controllable Hive, I will devote a chap- 
— ml>£* ter to Transferring. 

If you have bees in a box or patent hive, or any of the 
thousand and one bee hive humbugs, which are of little 
or no profit, and cause you much trouble and perplexity 
in swarming time, and frequent and heavy losses in 
winter, you can move them into Controllable Hives — 
comb, honey and bees together — and manage them on 
the plan here recommended, and they will winter well, 
come out strong and healthy in the spring, and cause com- 
paratively no trouble in swarming time, yielding you a 
good profit yearly. 

The best time to transfer is as early in spring as the 
weather becomes warm enough to keep the bees active 
every day, which, in the New England States, is usually 
in April. It is a good time to transfer about twenty-four 
days after the first swarm issues from a stock, as at that 
time there is but little brood, and usually but few bees. 
October is a very good time to transfer, but not as good 
as either of the times before mentioned. Great care is 
required to prevent robbing, and also to have the comb 
frames all filled with combs, and in good position for the 



100 TRANSFERRING BEES. 

bees to winter. As cold weather is so close at hand, the 
bees will have but little time to arrange for winter. 

In transferring, construct the Controllable Hive as- 
directed, with exception of the comb frames, from which 
leave off the triangular piece, as the comb can be better 
fitted to a flat surface. Make several holes one-fourth 
inch in diameter through the top, bottom and ends of 
frames, and a like number of sharp wooden pins about 
two inches long to fit these holes. 

Early in the morning, before the bees begin to fly, pre- 
pare your smoker, go to the hive you propose to transfer, 
and before you touch it, smoke the bees at the entrances 
moderately, giving them two or three puffs, waiting about 
a minute and giving them two or three more. Then stop 
the entrances, so no bees can escape. Take the hive from 
the stand and carry it to some out-building, so the bees 
from the other hives will not trouble you, and get a taste 
of the honey, thereby inciting thein to robbery. Turn 
the hive bottom up, and with two sticks, each about a half- 
inch in diameter and twelve inches long, strike the hive 
lightly half a dozen times, and then wait for two or three 
minutes. Then with the sticks on each side of the hive 
drum briskly (but lightly, so not to break the comb,) for 
about five minutes. Then puff smoke under the bottom 
board on all sides. Much of this preliminary work is for 
the purpose of confusing the bees, and inducing them 
to fill themselves with honey from the cells of the hive, 
as a bee gorged with honey will never volunteer an attack 
for the purpose of stinging. The bees are now ready to 
be transferred. You will need some one to assist you, 
and it will be necessary for you to put on your a. tides of 
protection, and keep your smoker in readiness for use, as 
occasionally a swarm is bard to subdue, though the great 
majority of them are perfectly docile after the treatment 
recommended. But we are to "beard the lion in his den," 
and to be forewarned is to be forearmed. 



transferring bees. 101 

The bees usually manifest their submission by a loud 
humming noise. If after you commence operations (be- 
fore you get the side of the hive off) they show a dispo- 
sition to be cross, replace the bottom board, close the 
entrances, if open, and give the insects a good smoking, 
at the entrances, and by raising the bottom board enough 
to introduce the smoke j give them the smoke freely for 
several minutes. Then again remove the bottom board. 
(These directions apply to the common box hive. If 
hives of a different pattern are operated upon, vary the 
operation to conform to the requirements of the case, 
applying the same principles.) Then with a chisel and 
hammer remove one side of the hive (the side to which 
the bees have attached the least comb,) and with a thin, 
sharp table-knife, cut the edges of the comb from the 
sides of the hive. It is well to have a table or stand near 
by, with a cloth folded in several thicknesses, on which 
to lay the sheets of comb with the bees adhering, if 
necessary. The cloth prevents crushing. Cut out a 
comb from the hive with the bees adhering, and cut off 
the edges, if required, so it will fit the new frame closely 
at the top and bottom. No matter if it does not go the 
whole length of the frame from front to rear, as the bees 
will finish it.* Have the comb occupy the same position, 
relatively, in the new hive, that it did in the old. When 
the comb is in place in the frame, secure it by putting the 
wooden pins through the holes in the frames into the 
combs, and having fastened it firmly in place by means 
of the pins, place it in the Controllable Hive in its proper 
position. 

Tims proceed, till all the frames of the Controllable 
Hive are filled, or the comb in the old hive is exhausted. 
In transferring, very old, black combs should be discarded 



*But very few hives are large enough for their combs to fill the 
movable comb frames of the Controllable Hive. 



102 TRANSFERRING BEES. 

even if you do not have your new hive more than half 
full. Get all the bees, it possible, in the new hive, and 
when you set it on the stand, close the lower entrance 
entirely, and let the upper one remain only one-half open, 
for a few days, until the bees get well located in their 
new home. Be careful not to crush any of the bees, and 
take special care not to injure the queen. 

As you will probably complete the operation of trans- 
ferring at about the time that bees will be flying briskly 
about the other hives, it will be better to put wire cloth 
over the entrances, to confine the bees you have trans- 
ferred, and let them remain in the outbuilding until about 
an hour before sunset; then set them on the stand and 
give them their liberty. Keeping them shut up for the 
time named, gives them a chance to take up the honey 
which runs from the transferred combs, and which might, 
if the bees were carried immediately to the stand, incite 
robbing. 

Transferring is by no means so formidable an operation 
as at first appears. I have transferred a very large num- 
ber of swarms from the old box hives, without any protec- 
tion for hands or face, and now the bees seldom show any 
disposition to sting. Yet I would advise beginners 
to protect themselves, until by practice they become 
familiar with the work. "Practice makes perfect" is an 
old and true saying, and it applies to all operations with 
bees, I assure you. In my first attempts at this work I 
thought I must be protected, and I would not for the 
world proceed without a protector, and that of the most 
invulnerable kh.d. Now, having had much practice, I 
feel no necessity for any covering whatever. I trust I 
have made my method of transferring perfectly plain, 
so that every one who wishes may avail themselves of its 
advantages. 



CHAPTER XVTI. 

ITALIAN BEES. 



f HE Italian Bee is a native of the Alps, and 
was first imported to this country about the 
year 1860. The Italian being a native of 
mountainous regions and a high latitude, they were 
reported to be extremely hardy and vigorous. Those 
who were first to obtain them, were unanimous in their 
praise of the Italian bee, and fully agreed that it was 
superior to our native or black bee in very many respects. 
The good reputation which preceded the introduction of 
the bee to this country, by time and experience in their 
care, has been fully vindicated. 

The pure Italian bees are superior to the natives in the 
following characteristics: They are more hardy and 
vigorous, withstanding our severe winters, with ordinary 
care, better than the natives ; they are more industrious 
than the native bee, being very active in storing honey in 
cool, windy, or cloudy weather, such as keeps the native 
bees quiet in the hives. 

The pure Italian, being larger and more vigorous than 
the natives, go greater distances to collect honey, and 
as they are larger, they carry more at a time, and being 
swifter of flight than the natives, they go the same dis- 
tance in much quicker time. Then, too, the pure Italian 
bee is very beautiful, nearly the entire body being of a 



104 ITALIAN BEES. 

golden color, so that some of its admirers have given it 
the name of " golden bee." It is very mild in disposition, 
seldom offering to sting unless unreasonably irritated. 
They show great activity in protecting their hives from 
the bee moth, even when weak in numbers. They also 
show the same trait in defending their stores from the 
attacks of robber bees. When the native bees have come 
buzzing around a hive of Italians in search of plunder, I 
have seen an Italian dart from the hive like a bullet, and 
seizing a native, while on the wing, bear him to earth and 
dispatch him with a sting. This feat I never saw a native 
bee accomplish. Being larger than the natives they arev 
able to reach the honey in the red clover, and many other 
flowers not accessible to our common bees, which makes 
an essential difference in the amount of honey collected. 

Rev. L. L, Langstroth says of the Italian bees : " They 
gather more than twice as much honey in the same 
localities, in the same time, as the swarms of native bees." 

I consider the pure Italian Bee a valuable and very 
desirable acquisition. I have furnished several of my 
lady friends with full colonies of them in Controllable 
Hives, and they have expressed themselves as very much 
pleased with their gentle disposition and great beauty. 

I think the points of superiority here designated will 
be found in the pure Italian bee. Very many, who have 
purchased bees purporting to be Italians, have been grossly 
deceived, having received simply a native swarm of bees, 
the queen of which, a pure native, had been impregnated 
by a drone having a slight tinge of Italian blood ; such 
stock was but very little, if any, better than a pure native 
swarm. 

I find I can make an improvement, even in the pure 
Italian stock, by selecting queens for rearing to supply 
my full stocks and with eggs and drones, from such stocks 
as show the superior characteristics in the fullest degree. 
This course persevered in for a term of years will show 



ITALIAN BEES. 105 

market! results in the improvement of the desirable points 
of superiority found in the Italian bee. 

I take great pride in my Italian bees. I believe they 
are as beautiful specimens of this variety as it is possible 
to produce, and possessing the characteristics of superior- 
ity of the Italians in the fullest degree. The points which 
I strive to cultivate and develop fully, are: Industry, 
mildness of disposition, beauty of color, vigor of con- 
stitution, etc. 

I have here given in brief my views of the Italian bee, 
as I receive many letters of enquiry in regard to them. 
I base my statements on practical experience. I would 
advise all who wish to procure the Italian bees, to exer- 
cise great care in selecting them, and purchase only of 
those who are known to have pure stocks, for the best is 
the cheapest in the end, no matter if the first cost seems 
high. If the worth of the money is in the bees, the 
higher the price paid, the better you will be satisfied. 
But do not pay even a low price for inferior stock, for you 
will not be satisfied. 





Controllable Hive. Fig. I. 




CHAPTER XVIII. 

CONSTRUCTION OF CONTROLLABLE HIVES. 

f^£ N the opposite page is given Figure I. of a 
\ pei'spective view of the Controllable Bee 
— y Hive, with the measurements of its exterior 
^i~ parts. The bod}- of the hive is made in two 
parts, A ami B. The lower edges of the upper part B 
rest upon the cleats C, attached to the outside of the 
lower part of A, near its upper edge — as will be seen by 
reference to Figures I. and II. The middle board D of 
the bottom is loose, and is held in place by hooks E. The 
middle board F, at the sides of the lower part A, are loose, 
hinged at their lower edges, and are held in place when 
closed by the buttons G. In front of the lower part A, 
near both its lower and upper edges, are formed slots, or 
bee passages, H. The lower part A is divided longitudi- 
nally into three compartments by two movable partitions. 
The side compartments are designed to receive the honey 
boxes J; and the center compartment forms the brood 
section. To the inner surfaces of the front and rear 
walls of the brood section are attached boards, forming a 
double thickness, to secure a more even temperature, 
keeping out the heat in summer and the cold in winter. 
The grain of the inner board runs crosswise of the outer 
one to prevent warping. The upper edges of the inner 
boards are rebated out five-eighths inch square inside, to 
receive the ends of the comb frames of the brood section. 



E/ ,CW:43/l 




CONTKOLLABLE HlVE. FlG. II. 



CONSTRUCTION OF CONTROLLABLE HIVES. 109 

Figure II. is :i perspective view of the Controllabe Hive, 
with the upper part of the case removed, showing the 
position of the glass honey boxes at the top, with the 
feeder T in the rear, and also showing the position of the 
side boxes J, in the large frame O. as shown more clearly 
in Figure III. The inner ends of the side boxes J, next 
to the brood section, are formed of boards C, narrower 
than the boxes, leaving side spaces, to allow the bees to 
pass in and out freely from the brood section to the side 
boxes. AVlien top boxes and feeder are not on, a board 
called a honey board is placed over the brood section, 
fitting very closely, so as to confine the heat, generated by 
the bees, to the brood section. In winter the brood section 
is covered by a ventilator made as follows: Take a piece 
of fine board one-half inch thick. Get out two pieces, 
each one inch wide and twenty-two and three-eighths 
inches long, and two pieces of same width each ten 
inches long. Nail the short pieces on to the ends of the 
long pieces, forming a frame nine inches wide by twenty- 
two and three-eighths inches long, inside measurement. 
Over this frame tack a piece of wire cloth twenty-three 
and three-eighths inches long, by ten inches wide, of a very 
fine mesh. This frame will just fit over the brood section, 
and give a space between the wire cloth and the top of the 
comb frames of about one and three-eighths inches. Tack 
the wire cloth on closely, so no bees can escape when the 
ventilator is in place. This ventilator is to be used only 
in winter, as directed under the chapter on Wintering. 

Figure III., on next page, is a perspective view of a 
set of side surplus honey boxes and their inclosing frame, 
with measurements of the different parts. 

The brood section of the hive is twenty and one-half 
inches long, nine inches wide and twelve inches deep, 
inside measurement. The brood section contains six 




Side Surplus Honey Boxes. Fig. III. 



CONSTRUCTION OF CONTROLLABLE HIVES. Ill 

movable comb frames, resting on rebatings, and held at 
tue proper distance apart at the bottom by a brace. The 
only plate where these frames touch the hive, is where 
the top bar of the comb frames rests on the rebating at 
the ends. To the top bar of each comb frame (on the 
under side) is nailed a triangular comb guide to aid in 
securing straight combs. Each side of the triangle is 
one inch wide. A piece of board one inch wide and 
three-eighths inch thick is laid on top of the comb frames 
lengthwise in the centre on this piece. The ends of the 
top boxes rest in the center where they come together. 
Notches an- cut on the underside, crosswise, to admit of 
the passage of the bees.* 

In tlie construction of hives use the best dry pine 
lumber, free from Haws or cracks, and put on a good coat 
of paint to protect from the weather. As the hives are to 
remain in the open air the year round, the best of lumber 
is required, and that to be well protected with a heavy 
coat of the most durable paint. Make close-fitting joints 
and nail thoroughly. 

These hives, if properly constructed of sound lumber, 
will last many years. I have had the same hive on one 
stand incessantly for six years, and at the end of that 



*I have exercised great care, and incurred considerable expense, 
in giving drawings with measurements and directions for construct- 
ing Controllable Hives, glass boxes, etc., that such of my readers 
as wish may be able to construct the hives and manage be^s 
ace. irding to the new system as taught in this work. I have no 
time or desire to establish a business in the manufacture of hives, 
but if any of my readers want a full sized Controllable Hive, 
ready for a swarm of bees, the better to enable them to make the 
Controllable Hive, I will furnish them. Price eight dollars. In no 
case will I furnish more than one to the same address. The hive 
is not patent, so any one can manufacture and use as many as they 
wish. They can make them at their home, especially in the winter 
season, much cheaper than T can furnish them. 



112 



CONSTRUCTION OF CONTROLLABLE HIVES. 



time it is as good, to all appearances, as when first put 
there. 

All who desire to construct Controllable Hives, and 
adopt the plan of bee management recommended in this 
book, can do so freely, as there is no patent on the hive, 
or any of its parts or fixtures. 




CHAPTER XIX. 

MONTHLY DUTIES. 

'TIE successful management and care of bees 
requires forethought and preparation for 
all labor and care bestowed upon them, if 
we desire to bestow it at the proper time, and in the most 
judicious manner. I have in this chapter given only brief 
hints as to the work to be performed. Such of my 
readers as are located in a climate essentially differing 
from that of the New England States, will perceive the 
necessity of varying their management to correspond 
with the difference in climate, etc. 

I shall repeat some of the statements already made, in 
order to impress them more thoroughly upon the bee 
keeper. The object of this chapter is to bring to the 
mind of the bee keeper the more important duties required 
in the successful use of the system recommended in this 
work. 

JANUARY. 

We will commence with January as it is the first month 
in the year. 

In this month construct hives, glass honey boxes, etc. 
Give the new hives a good coat of paint. They will last 
longer, and as they are to remain out of doors the year 



114 MONTHLY DUTIES. 

around, it is very essential that they be preserved against 
the weather. A good, heavy coat of paint, spread over 
good lumber, will prevent cracking and warping. 
Employ the time, in this month of comparative leisure, 
in getting eve. y thing in readiness for the approaching 
honey season. 

FEBRUARY. 

February like January is not a busy month with bees 
in the Northern States, neither do they require much care. 
If not finished last month, continue the work of January 
by making hives, glass honey boxes, and all fixtures re- 
quired in the management of the bees in the coming 
season. In some sections bees will tly briskly the last of 
the month. Clear away the snow from the foot of the 
hives at that time. Set out meal feed for the bees, pro- 
vided they fly briskly. 

MARCH. 

At the commencement of this month, clear the snow 
away from the front of hives; raise the hives up on blocks 
at the corners, remove the bottom board under the brood 
section, and brush out all accumulations, which might 
invite the bee moth to deposit her eggs, if suffered to 
remain through the summer. This accomplished, set 
the hive back in its place. The first day that the bees 
fly, set out the meal as heretofore directed. Commence 
to feed liquid feed as early as the bees will take it. Feed 
regularly every day, or every other day, at evening. 
When you commence to feed, remove the packing from 
the cap, and also take off the ventilator. The space over 
the comb frames not covered with the feeder, cover with 
a small honey board. Let the packing remain at the 



MONTHLY DUTIES. 115 

sides until you have put on the side boxes, or until some 
time in May. as it keeps the brood chamber warm, which 
is essential in forwarding breeding. Open a small portion 
of the upper entrance (about one-third) and keep the 
passage open at the bottom, the same as during the 
winter. 

APRIL. 

Early in April— the first warm, sunny day — examine 
your stocks, and see if they have fertile, laying queens. 
If the queen is all right, there will be eggs and brood 
in the brood cells. Don't keep the hives open any longer 
than is necessary, as the cold air might chill the brood. 
At this time, if some stocks have a large amount of honey 
in the combs of the brood section, exchange such with 
some stock that has but little; as it is a disadvantage 
to have too-much sealed honey in the brood combs in the 
spring. It sometimes happens that all the brood combs 
will be tilled with sealed honey nearly down to the 
bottom, leaving but a very small place en two or three 
combs near the bottom for breeding purposes. In such 
cases, take out two or three combs, and exchange with 
other stocks having empty combs, leaving in each such 
as have brood and eggs, in every stock. Don't take out 
any bees. In this manner equalize your stocks, and all 
will be benefited. If any stocks are found queenless, or 
with diseased or worthless queens, take means to furnish 
them with a fertile, laying queen, as soon as possible. 
In the meantime, keep the entrances to such hives con- 
tracted very small, so but very few bees can pass at one 
time, to prevent attacks from robbers. Queenless stocks, 
or those which have diseased or drone-laying queens, will 
not resist an attack from robber bees with as much vigor 
as a stock having a fertile and prolific queen. 



116 MONTHLY DUTIES. 

MAY. 

If surplus honey is your object the coming season, 
early in this month put on the boxes at the sides, and the 
last c-f the month, or as soon as the bees commence work 
in the side boxes, remove the small honey board over the 
brood section, and put on the top boxes, except at the 
place occupied by the feeder. It may be well to feed 
liberally for about ten days before fruit blossoms appear, 
in order to get the bees at work in the boxes. You can 
judge what is best. If the stocks are backward in breed- 
ing, the comb not rilled with eggs and brood in nearly 
every part, it will be best to defer liberal feedii g until a 
little later. You should have had the brood combs filled 
with brood and eggs, before liberal feeding is begun, 
else the bees will fill with honey what should be filled 
with eggs and brood ; and thus the number of bees will 
be reduced from what there would be if the queen depos- 
ited eggs in all the cells. You want all the bees possible 
to gather the honey harvest of June, July, August and 
September. 

If you want swarms, don't put on any boxes. 

About the time fruit blossoms appear, or a little before, 
open both entrances to their full extent, in all strong and 
healthy stocks. 

JUNE. 

This is the month for swarms. It is also the month, 
in most localities, when the best quality of box honey is, 
collected. If you have arranged for swarms to appear 
this month, have everything in readiness for them. If you 
are arranging for surplus honey, remove the boxes as fast 
as filled, and replace with empty ones. Hive the swarms 
as soon as clustered. Be sure not to let them remain in 
the hot sun for any length of time. Have your hives all 



MONTHLY DUTIES. 117 

ready. This month is a good time to rear queens in the 
miniature hives. Keep the grass and weeds about the 
hives cut down. The}' harbor the moth miller, when 
suffered to grow about the hives. 

JULY. 

Continue to take off boxes as fast as filled. Keep a 
sharp lookout that the moth worms do not get in and 
injure the honey in the boxes which you have removed. 
If the supply of honey fails when the boxes are only 
partially filled, feed the bees liberally, until the boxes are 
finished. Do this as soon as honey fails, as the bees will 
store faster in boxes if fed as soon as the natural 
supply of honey ceases. It will be well to put on a few 
boxes — say, one side to each new swarm which has been 
hived early; and also on old stocks that swarmed early. 
Put the boxes on one side first; then if the bees go to 
work in them, put iu the other side. 

AUGUST. 

If you have a market near home, the surplus honey in 
glass boxes will sell very well the last of this month, 
before honty is brought from away; but if you are to 
ship a great distance, the weather will be too warm in 
this month. Keep a close watch that the boxes you have 
taken off do rot get wormy. Eternal vigilance is the 
price of success. 

Keep boxes on your hives through this month and next, 
for surplus honey. Keep down the grass and weeds 
about the hives. 



118 MONTHLY DUTIES. 

SEPTEMBER. 

In some localities September gives a very good yield of 
honey. I recollect one season in particular, since I 
adopted my present system of bee management, when 
the yield of box honey in September was very remarkable. 
Some of my hives of bees filled their full set of boxes 
almost entirely in a few days. I think that it was in con- 
siderably less than two weeks, that they finished them up, 
and they had only a light start— a few small pieces of 
comb in some of the boxes, and in the others none at all. 

Feed at the last of this month, to complete all partially 
filled boxes, and at the very last of the month, or first of 
October, feed such swarms as may be deficient of stores 
for winter, if you prefer to do this rather than to equalize 
by exchange of comb frames, as directed in another place. 
If you decide to thus equalize, do it the last of October or 
the first of November. 

OCTOBER. 

At the commencement of this month, continue to feed 
such stocks, if any, as are short of honey, yet are supplied 
with a good ^amount of comb in which to store honey. 
As the yield of honey from flowers closes this month, at 
its end remove all boxes from the hives. Such as are 
partially filled with comb or honey may be set in a cold, 
dry place, and remain for use another year. If placed 
where they will freeze, and then sealed up carefully, so 
the moth miller cannot get in, they will be in good con- 
dition when wanted next season. Boxes that have comb 
about a third full or even less, are finished very quickly 
by the bees. Be sure to keep all such boxes for the next 
season. You probably have a few queens in your min- 
iature hives. Look over your stocks, and if any are 
found queenless, or with diseased queens, give them a 
new and prolific one. 



MONTHLY DUTIES. 119 

NOVEMBER. 

The first of November, if not already done, exchange 
comb frame?, from stocks deficient in stores to winter, 
with such ms can spare a frame of honey. Do this until 
all have stores sufficient for winter. Twenty pounds of 
honey will render them safe until you begin to feed in 
the spring. From the middle to the last of November is 
usually the time to prepare the hives for winter, by pack- 
ing with hay or straw, as directed in another place. This 
should not be done until a few days before steady cold 
weather sets in. Care should be exercised not to put it off 
until it is too cold ; neither should it be done too early. 
Be sure to pack thoroughly. Success in wintering 
depends in a great degree upon thorough work in packing 
the hives. 

DECEMBER. 

In this month procure your lumber and all material for 
making hives, boxes, etc., to be worked up during the 
winter. If there are small villages or large cities near by, 
you will find this morth a good time to market your 
honey, if you have any on hand. With a little effort, you 
can have ready customers for your goods, or at least a 
portion of it. Honey in glass boxes is in such nice shape, 
that any one who likes a fine article, will pay a liberal 
price for it, after they have once tested its quality. In a 
few years you will have established a trade with ready 
customers, near home, at remunerative prices. 



CHAPTER XX. 

CONCLUSION. 

IJ^E often hear this question asked : " Are 
iifm'v " 3ees P r °fi ta ble?" an d the replies given 
"" are various, contradictory and amusing, 
varying in accordance with the. honesty, experience, skill 
and success of the bee keeper. Such as have attempted 
bee keeping with the old fashioned square box hives, 
under the old system of management based on fire and 
brimstone, will say there is no profit in bees, and that you 
must not molest them at all ; if you do, " they will run 
out, and you will loose your luck." 

There is another class, who have adopted all the ex- 
travagant fancies of the patent bee hive venders, paying 
large sums of money for hives worse than useless, with 
what are claimed to be patent fixtures — expecting a sud- 
den fortune as the l-esult, and found the whole thing 
a fraud. Perhaps they have been duped in this way a 
half-dozen times or more, and always with the same re- 
sult- This class will tell you emphatically, that every- 
thing pertaining to bees is a humbug and a cheat— no 
money in them, etc. 

In presenting the statements made in this work, I am 
not blinded nor influenced by any selfish motive, in con- 
demning or recommending any one system of bee man- 



CONCLUSION. 121 

ngement or hive. I only wish to present facts, and do 
what little I can to make bee keeping safe and profitable 
to all who engage in it. There is much written on the 
subject of bees— their habits and management, construc- 
tion of hives, etc., which is mere guess work. A great 
deal is written, too, for no other than selfish or prejudiced 
motives. What is wanted is practical instruction on the 
subject — such instruction and statements as are based 
on experience, and will stand the test of application, 
when brought into active, every-day use. 

The leal, practical experience of the bee keeper, who 
has devoted many years to the work, and will tell what 
has come under his or her personal observation, is worth 
much more than the finest spun theory of the most 
learned and talented theorist; or in other words, mere 
conjecture is a poor and uncertain guide in bee keeping. 
It is an old but true saying that "Practice makes Per- 
fect." In no business will this saying apply more closely 
or with greater force than to bee keeping. 

That bees are profitable when rightly managed, I think 
I have shown in this little work; and that they can be of 
no profit, as often managed, I think is equally made clear. 

The natural habits of bees have not been sufficiently 
understood, by the majority of bee keepers. This has 
rendered them an easy prey to the many speculators in 
bee hives of peculiar shape and construction, who are 
constantly urging their claims to possessing great knowl- 
edge of bees, when perhaps they never saw a bee; and 
care not one straw for the advancement of successful 
bee culture. I find, with the great majority of hives now 
in use, there are many obstacles to successful and profit- 
able bee keeping. There is too little room for storing 
box honey in them. Boxes are often difficult of access to 
the bees, so that they manifest much reluctance about 
entering them, often clustering on the outside of the hive 
through the honey season, when they should be at work 



122 CONCLUSION. 

in the boxes. Then, too, the boxes are usually too large, 
which renders the honey unsalable. Honey in lai'ge boxes 
often cout ins cells of brood, and bee bread, or pollen, 
interspersed among the honey cells, which are a great 
damage to it, rendering it very unsalable. Glass boxes, 
each holding about four and one-half pounds, is the 
proper size. A swarm of bees in a hive with thirty of 
these boxes, judiciously arranged, will fill them nearly as 
quickly as they would half the number, as the bees have 
ample room to work without crowding. 

There are a vast number of bee keepers who now have 
bees which are of no profit to them, but instead are only 
a perplexity and trouble. If such would manage their 
bees on correct and scientific principles, in accordance 
with their natural habits and instincts, with judicious 
care and attention bestowed at the right time, and in the 
proper manner, using a hive constructed in accordance 
with those principles, they would be surprised at the 
results which would follow. 

To succeed with bees, we should recollect that personal 
experience is the best guide; and next to this is the in- 
struction of those engaged in the business, who prove 
by the results which follow their management, that they 
make bee culture profitable. In commencing bee keeping, 
if you purchase bees, use great care in doing so. Buy 
none but strong, healthy stocks. If you purchase in 
box hives or patent hives, you will be very likely, if not 
acquainted with bees, or unless purchasing of some 
reliable person, to get diseased stocks; and again, a per- 
son who keeps bees by the ordinary methods, is very 
likely to have diseased stocks which he thinks are all 
right. So, great care is necessary in buying your outfit 
to commence bee keeping. Diseased stocks are dear at 
any price. You want the very best to start with, if you 
can possibly get them. Be sure to get such stocks as 
have young queens, for if the stock has a queen four 



CONCLUSIOX. 123 

years old or more, (and they are likely to be that old in 
box or pater t hives, under ordinary management,) such 
a queen is liable to fail at any time, and loss of the stock 
follows. 

In commencing to keep bees, if possible start with 
good, strong, healthy stocks, in the right kind of a hive; 
then you will have no difficulty in changing them. But 
if this cannot possibly be done, be sure to start with 
strong, healthy stocks. If you must take second-class 
hives, of thi3 class the plain movable comb and box 
hives are best. But be sure to let the patent hives entirely 
alone; they are a curse to the beekeeper. If you get 
your bees in second-class hives, transfer them to Con- 
trollable Hives, or as fast as they swarm put them in Con- 
trollable Hives. In this way you will soon have your 
bees in shape to pay you a good profit. 

When you begin keeping bees, study closely their 
natural habits and requirements. Give them such care 
and attention as your judgement and present knowledge 
teaches they require. Persevere, and ultimate success 
is certain. 

Every one who attains success with bees, will find that 
there is something more to be done, than simply to stand 
with folded hands, with the expectation that a fortune 
must inevitably follow. Know the precise condition of 
your bees at all times— whether they are weak or strong, 
whether they are without a queen, or whether the queen 
has become so old as to have passed her usefulness. 
After a period of years, queens become barren, and unless 
they are removed, and a young queen substituted, the 
bees will rapidly decline in numbers, and all disappear 
from the hive in a few weeks or months. 

It cannot be too strongly urged npon the beginner, 
this great necessity of securing strong, healthy stocks to 
begin with; and if possible, get them in the Controllable 
Hives. All who do not fully understand the management 



124 CONCLUSION. 

ai:d nature of bees would save themselves much trouble 
and perplexity, by procuring, to begin with, one or more 
healthy colonics in the Controllable Hive. Your chances 
of success in the end, and your profits of the first season, 
are greater from one swarm in this hive, than from six in 
second-class hives. If you purchase bees in inferior hives, 
you will need to exercise great care that they are not 
diseased. There is not one box or patent hive in fifty (as 
ordinarily managed) but that is deceased. They are 
either badly infested with the bee moth, have old, mouldy 
black combs, an old and diseased queen, or are in some 
way diseased. jSTo matter how low the price paid for 
such stocks, they will be found expensive. Be sure to 
get none but the best to commence with; they are the 
cheapest in the end. 

I might illustrate this with many cases that have come 
under my observation. One or two I will mention : A 
gentlemen in Connecticut ordered of me a swarm of 
Italian bees in the Controllable Hive, in the spring of 
1880, for which he paid me twenty dollars. He wrote 
me in June that they were doing finely, and that he never 
saw bees work so well — they were at work in all the 
boxes, some of them being nearly filled with honey, and 
all the combs being filled with bees at work storing; and 
from appearances lie should get a large amount of sur- 
plus box honey from them. 

Another gentleman wrote me, almost the same time, 
asking my price for a swarm of Italian bees, and when 
informed that it was twenty dollars, he wrote me that as 
he could get the Italian bees nearer his home for ten 
dollars, he would not order of me, but would invest his 
twenty dollars and get two swarms instead of one. He 
has since written me that one of the swarms for which 
he paid ten dollars he has lost outright, leaving him only 
a mass of moth worms in old and mouldy black combs. 
The other has proved to be queenless, and has caused him 



CONCLUSION. 125 

more trouble and perplexity than it is worth, to say the 
least. There is now not over a pi-nt of bees in the hive, 
but he has put in a queen and hopes to save them from 
total loss. 

I know of another ease where a gentleman bought six 
swarms of bees in box hives. They were very heavy 
and he thought of course they were all right. He knew 
nothing of the diseases of bees, and supposed if they were 
heavy, and had honey enough, that was all that was 
necessary. He bought them in the fall at a very low 
price, and was much elated over his purchase. Five 
of the six swarms died during the winter, and the re- 
maining one came out in the spring so weak as to be no 
profit whatever the next season; and the next winter that 
also died. 

It is an established fact that to succeed well with bees 
they must lie kept in hives suited to their habits and 
requirements, and with the view of rendering them profit- 
able. Such is the Controllable Hive. And they must be 
managed on principles in accordance with nature's laws, 
and the instincts and habits of the honey bee. Such is 
the new system recommended in this book — Bee Keep- 
ing Reduced to a Science; no "luck," no " guess- 
work,' 1 no " chance " about it. 

Trusting that this little work may be the means of 
greatly increasing the profits of bees, I bring it to a 
close. 




9^ 



WBf 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 




